Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza runs with the ball against a diving tackle attempt by Oregon Ducks defensive back Aaron Flowers on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025, at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon.

Another week of college football has come to a close, and that means two things.

  1. NFL Sunday is upon us, and it's time to see if your favorite team will leave you in a good fall mood or angrily staring outside until you play again.
  2. If you've already abandoned your team's NFL season, going over every college prospect like your life depends on it, hoping that one of these kids can save your franchise.

The 2026 NFL Draft is setting up to be a good one, and although, unlike other years where there is a clear, generational quarterback talent at the top of the board, this could be one of the deepest drafts when it comes to throwing prospects that have the potential to be superstars if they land in the right environment.

There are maybe a dozen eligible quarterbacks right now who I could see going in the first day of the draft if things go right for them as we approach the end of the season and winter.

After some moved up the food chain this weekend, and a few have hit rock bottom (I'm sorry, Drew Allar), here's my current ranking of the top five eligible quarterbacks for the NFL Draft this April in Pittsburgh.

QB1: Fernando Mendoza (Indiana Hoosiers)

I'm not going to be bashful here: I love Fernando Mendoza. As a prospect, he is a player who could play in the NFL tomorrow if the team had a half-decent offensive line and an adequate play caller. He's a commander of the pocket, can make the tough throws, and has legs to force the defense to respect him if they leave a hole in front of him.

My favorite thing about Mendoza's victory over No. 3 Oregon was his biggest make. He floated a back shoulder pass, which he was dicing the Ducks with for a majority of the game, and they finally jumped it, taking it to the house and tying the game. Mendoza, not skipping a beat, then got the ball back and drove the Hoosiers all the way back down the field to throw a perfect pass to his favorite receiver, Elijah Sarratt, to put them ahead for good on the day.

There are other quarterbacks in the ranking or even unranked who might have a higher ceiling than Mendoza. Still, he's a player who has transformed every year in college and might continue breaking through every ceiling set for him.

QB2: Ty Simpson (Alabama)

Whereas Mendoza showed the most composure on the day, Alabama's Simpson might have been the most overall impressive. He had a few throws on Saturday that a few quarterbacks in the NFL would have a tough time threading the needle. Alabama asked him to complete numerous fourth-down conversions, and as if it was nothing, he found sideline throws and didn't buckle under the Missouri front pressure.

The opening loss to Florida State masked his good play, but Simpson has been every bit a Heisman candidate through the first half of the year with 18 overall touchdowns and only a lone interception.

QB3: Dante Moore (Oregon)

It was not the best day for Moore, who threw two interceptions and struggled in the second half with Indiana's swarming defense, but I still see him as one of the top three quarterbacks exiting the weekend. His deep ball is still a sight to behold, as we saw earlier in the Indiana game. He made some magical throws under duress that would have led to video packages for the game if the Ducks had won.

QB4: Jayden Maiava (USC)

You don't have to rate Lincoln Riley highly as a coach, but you have to respect what he gets out of quarterbacks and sets them up for NFL success. Maiava was a question mark entering the season with the Trojans getting a blue-chip prospect, Husan Longstreet, lurking. After a walloping of Michigan, however, where he put up another 250-plus yards through the air and two touchdowns, he's doing what you'd expect from a Riley disciple.

He might not be as polished or composed as the three quarterbacks ranked ahead of him -- an errant, unforced interception to the Wolverines highlighted that -- yet his overall raw talent makes up for it. His connection with future first-rounder Makai Lemon at the receiver position is the best in the country, and Maiava has a lot of room to rise in the rankings with games remaining against Notre Dame and Oregon.

QB5: LaNorris Sellers (South Carolina)

From one USC to the other, I had Sellers way at the top of my board last week. Physically, there's no one like him on the board. If I were to predict which quarterback in this class had the most potential to be the face of the NFL and rival the likes of Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, and Lamar Jackson, it would be Sellers.

But another dud spotlight game against LSU has me putting him down in the rankings. South Carolina games won't be appointment television for the rest of the season. With the team's paper-thin offensive line and lack of talent around Sellers, we won't see the best out of him. There's a chance he returns next season to play out a full third season as a starter for the Gamecocks, but NFL teams might not want or need to see any more film to want to draft him in April.

As the season goes on, Sellers is going to be a tough one to rank, but his ceiling is too high for me to drop him off completely unless something drastic happens.

Honorable Mentions: Carson Beck (Miami), Sam Leavitt (Arizona State), John Mateer (Oklahoma), Garrett Nussmeier (LSU)

This article originally appeared on Touchdown Wire: NFL Draft 2026 QB1 Rankings: Fernando Mendoza, Ty Simpson soar on Saturday

Reporting by Tyler Erzberger, Touchdown Wire / Touchdown Wire

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