Could this be the worst QB class ever?

Seeing how the 2022 draft class turned out, many fans didn’t think there was a chance that a worse QB class would ever be. The headliner in that year's draft was Kenny Pickett to the Steelers at pick 20. The only saving grace for the 2022 QB class was Brock Purdy, who the 49ers selected with the final pick in the entire draft.

This year, however, could look like much of the same. Heisman-winning QB Fernando Mendoza is a lock to be the first overall pick by the Las Vegas Raiders. Still, he isn’t widely considered to be a generational prospect like other QBs in previous years.

An anonymous NFC Scout on Mendoza, “It’s hard to go against a quarterback, but if we’re being honest, [Mendoza] probably isn’t the best player or prospect. He’ll have the biggest impact, sure, because of his position. But other players are better.”

Klint Kubiak is the new Head Coach of the Las Vegas Raiders, coming off a season in which he won the Super Bowl as the Seattle Seahawks' offensive coordinator. Still, there is a world where he ends up crashing and burning and isn’t able to develop Mendoza into the quarterback everyone thinks he could be (besides the anonymous scout). If that is the case, this draft class is shaping up to be the worst ever.

According to PFF, behind Fernando Mendoza, who is the number one player on their 2026 draft big board, the next best quarterback is Alabama's Ty Simpson, who comes in at 36th on their big board. Only two more quarterbacks made the top 100, with LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier ranked 83rd, and Miami’s Carson Beck coming in at number 97.

Penn State quarterback Drew Allar, who was a projected first-round pick at this time last year, is ranked 140th on PFF’s big board. At this point, Allar being drafted before day three of the draft would be an absolute miracle.

Another NFC scout said this of the 2026 quarterback class, “I think this quarterback class was overhyped by the media from the start, and I think a lot of it had to do with Arch Manning. He’s a huge name, so it’s understandable, but I think most of us were pretty sure he wasn’t coming out this year. And the rest of the class was promising, but there were a lot of questions.”

Other than Mendoza and Simpson, none of the other quarterbacks in this class have the perceived upside to become starting quarterbacks in the NFL. If Simpson ends up with a franchise such as the Cleveland Browns, it is sadly more likely that he will fail in the NFL, or at least with the team that drafts him.

On the other hand, Mendoza and Simpson could end up becoming superstars in the NFL with the talent they have, and maybe Allar, Nussmeier, and Beck can fit in well on whichever team they get drafted by.

At this point, everything is just a guessing game, but this quarterback draft class may end up being the worst of all time.

Nicholas Smith is a first-year student majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, please contact him at nbs5826@psu.edu.