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As the 2026 NFL Draft approaches, we’re breaking down position rankings individually based on the big boards of Yahoo Sports NFL Draft experts Nate Tice and Charles McDonald.
More position rankings: WR | DL
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1. Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana
Mendoza’s production and Indiana’s success went through the roof under Curt Cignetti, but just traits-wise, Mendoza has a lot to like. He’s a tall athlete with good size (all 236 pounds of him in Indianapolis) with a loose arm and good overall frame. Mendoza can put some real zip on the football on underneath and intermediate throws, making attempts with college hashes seem routine because of how consistently he can put those throws on the money. His footwork has polish and he already has rapidly improved pocket movement. He already shows encouraging snaps of progressing and moving in the pocket to find answers on true passing downs and in high-leverage situations like third down and in the red zone. He’s consistently accurate at all three levels of the field, which is probably his standout trait. He already shows off a knack for locating the football away from defenders and is willing to push the ball in all types of situations, an encouraging sign against the tighter NFL windows he’ll face.
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Mendoza is also a good athlete who can create a bit with his legs (but prefers to win as a thrower). He is an intriguing package of traits and polish with a high IQ (he’s deadly in two-minute situations) and real feel for the position. To me, there are some similarities to Matt Ryan. He took a lot of sacks at Cal, but was cleaned up in Indiana’s much friendlier surroundings. Indiana’s offense is RPO-heavy, but Mendoza shows an ability to drop back consistently and find the right answer. Mendoza has a style, accuracy, and set of tools that point to a higher ceiling than what he’s getting credit for right now, with a floor and polished understanding to play right away and not be a total disaster.
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2. Garrett Nussmeier, QB, LSU
Nussmeier had an inconsistent final season as he survived the death throes of the Brian Kelly era in Baton Rouge. He has a below-average build and isn’t an overwhelming athlete, but his gunslinger mentality maximizes every concept that’s run for him and he knows how to get the ball in play. Nussmeier will push the ball and does so with clean timing and ball placement. He has plenty of arm and maximizes it with his timing. He can get himself in trouble with his aggression, but he really makes constant good decisions with the football and plays to win the game rather than just find the safest answer. I’m planning on writing a deeper dive on Nussmeier (and other QBs) soon, but I see a potential solid starter in the right situation with a good understanding of properly playing the quarterback position.
3. Ty Simpson, QB, Alabama
Simpson is willing to let that football fly. Even with less-than-ideal size at the quarterback position, Simpson has plenty of arm to push the football and is willing to do so. He has a consistently quick release and can push the ball without having much room in the pocket to work from. He is a good athlete who can create a bit with his legs. While Simpson’s overall accuracy is solid enough, he can have moments where throws get away from him, and his aggressive play style can also lead to some negative plays and stretches. The optimistic view is that he wasn’t healthy for all of 2025 and that he should improve with more starts. The pessimistic view is that that’s because he would take a few too many hits on a smaller frame and is already 23. I think Simpson’s ceiling is fairly low, but his aggressive play style and good understanding of timing will give him fans among evaluators who think he can overcome his less-than-ideal build and the low amount of career starts with more to tap into.
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