The 2025 college football season is still roughly two months away, making the 2026 NFL Draft seem well out of reach. But with scouts already preparing for a deeper quarterback class in 2026 than in 2025, a few names are already being circled as the next potential No. 1 pick. Most specifically, LaNorris Sellers, Garrett Nussmeier, Cade Klubnik and Drew Allar have emerged as the top prospects to watch for the upcoming season.
Sellers, Klubnik, Allar and Nussmeier were all given a 15 percent chance to become the 2026 No. 1 pick in the preseason, according to ESPN NFL Draft analyst Jordan Reid. Indiana's Fernando Mendoza led the next tier with a 12 percent chance, while Texas' Arch Manning was given a five percent chance. Clemson edge-rusher T.J. Parker was the highest-rated non-quarterback with a 10 percent chance of becoming the No. 1 pick.
Of the top four quarterbacks, Klubnik is widely viewed as arguably the best quarterback in college football. The rising senior has improved his numbers each year, throwing for 3,639 yards, 36 touchdowns, and six interceptions in 2024.
However, Nussmeier and Allar are ahead of him on some sportsbooks in the 2025 Heisman Trophy odds, with Sellers not far behind. Allar is the only quarterback of the group who considered entering the 2025 NFL Draft before deciding to return to Penn State for another year.
The preseason favorites tend to be accurate, but are far from an exact science. The 2025 NFL Draft was a prime example, with former FCS quarterback Cam Ward defying the odds and slowly turning himself into the No. 1 pick throughout the year.
Scouts already looking ahead at 2026 NFL Draft
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Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney with quarterback Cade Klubnik (2) against the Texas Longhorns during the first half of the CFP National playoff first round at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.
Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
While the 2025 NFL Draft drummed up a fair amount of excitement, the 2026 class is expected to be much deeper. Struggling teams looking for their next quarterbacks were not as pleased with the 2025 crop of talent, but are already looking ahead to 2026.
Had some of the prospects been available in 2025, particularly Cade Klubnik and Garrett Nussmeier, they would likely have been first-round talents. Drew Allar was also among the top-rated prospects, with some scouts considering him the third-best quarterback of the class, behind Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders. However, aside from Ward going No. 1, none of the quarterbacks went where anyone projected them to, particularly with Sanders falling all the way down to the fifth round.
Barring a catastrophic drop-off, Klubnik, Nussmeier and Allar will likely hear their names called early once the draft rolls around in April 2026. LaNorris Sellers is the biggest wild card of the group, with the highest potential but the lowest floor.