Fernando Mendoza had a storybook 2025 season, which began with a switch from Cal to Indiana and ended with him main the Hoosiers to their first-ever nationwide championship. That efficiency, which included a Heisman Trophy, made him the unquestioned QB1 within the 2026 NFL draft. However how does he examine to first-round quarterbacks of the current previous?
I answered that query by stacking all 17 first-round quarterbacks from 2021-2025, then including Mendoza — my solely signal-caller with a first-round grade for 2026 — to the combo. The record consists of the likes of Trevor Lawrence, Bryce Younger, Caleb Williams and Drake Maye.
I polled NFL scouts, decision-makers and analysts to assist construct the record, and predraft grades had been the solely consideration right here. Whereas I added every quarterback’s professional efficiency for extra context, it has no bearing on these rankings. That is simply these 18 quarterbacks stacked collectively as in the event that they had been all in the identical draft class.
So who’s No. 1 on the record as the highest QB prospect going again 5 years, and the way does Mendoza examine?
Soar to high QB from every class:
2021 | 2022 | 2023
2024 | 2025 | 2026
Drafted: No. 1, Chicago Bears
Potential is a scary phrase in the case of prospects, however Williams was (and nonetheless is) loaded with it. At 6-foot-1 and 220 kilos, he has wonderful arm energy and the power to create on the transfer. He is a real playmaker and an artist, successful the Heisman Trophy in 2022, then throwing for 3,633 yards and accounting for 41 whole touchdowns for USC in 2023.
Regardless of the large predraft hype, it has been a constructing course of. After an uneven rookie season through which he completed twenty eighth out of 33 certified quarterbacks in QBR (46.7), Williams took a leap in 2025 underneath first-year coach Ben Johnson, throwing for a franchise-record 3,942 passing yards whereas main the Bears to the divisional spherical of the playoffs. There are nonetheless accuracy issues (he had the best off-target share within the league, in keeping with NFL Subsequent Gen Stats), however he is getting nearer to realizing the hype he had getting into the NFL.
Drafted: No. 1, Jacksonville Jaguars
Lawrence was deemed the following nice NFL quarterback prospect earlier than even taking a snap for Clemson. The consensus five-star prep recruit turned a 2½-year starter for the Tigers, posting a 34-2 report and racking up 90 passing touchdowns in school.
Lawrence’s mixture of arm energy, mobility, creativity and 6-foot-6 dimension stood out within the lead-up to the 2021 draft. After a rocky rookie season, he drastically improved with 25 landing passes in 2022, main the Jaguars to an AFC South title and playoff win over the Chargers. After struggling in 2023 and taking part in an injury-shortened 2024, Lawrence caught fireplace in first-year coach Liam Coen’s offense final season, throwing for 4,007 passing yards and 29 landing to guide the Jags to a 13-4 report.
Drafted: No. 2, Washington Commanders
Daniels’ elite deep-ball throwing, means to gash defenses together with his legs and penchant for giant performs led to a Heisman Trophy in 2023. The success of that season noticed his draft inventory rise from a possible Day 3 choose to No. 2 total. The one issues with Daniels had been associated to his leaner 6-foot-4, 210-pound body, particularly contemplating his aggressive operating model. Some scouts additionally questioned if his breakout season at LSU was merely resulting from him being 23 years previous and going through youthful competitors.
Daniels silenced these doubts in his historic Offensive Rookie of the 12 months marketing campaign, main Washington to its first NFC Championship Recreation because the 1991 season. The Commanders fell off a bit final season, as an array of accidents restricted him to seven video games. However he seems to be like one of many brightest younger quarterbacks within the NFL when wholesome.
Drafted: No. 3, New England Patriots
Maye drew comparisons to Justin Herbert for his dimension (6-foot-4, 225 kilos), arm energy and energy as a runner. He improved the North Carolina offense as a redshirt freshman in 2022, throwing for 38 touchdowns and simply seven interceptions whereas additionally operating for seven extra scores. Maye’s numbers had been much less spectacular in 2023 (24 passing TDs, 9 INTs), however his potential was nonetheless excellent sufficient for the Commanders to contemplate Maye at No. 2 earlier than the Patriots bought him one choose later.
Maye began 13 video games as a rookie in 2024 and performed effectively on a foul 4-13 Patriots group. He took an enormous leap in 12 months 2, main the NFL in QBR (77.1) whereas accumulating 4,394 passing yards and 31 touchdowns to eight interceptions. He completed second in MVP voting and led New England to the AFC championship.
1:26
Why Stephen A. nonetheless believes in Drake Maye
Stephen A. Smith explains why he nonetheless has religion in Drake Maye regardless of a “precipitous drop-off” within the postseason for the Patriots.
Drafted: No. 1, Carolina Panthers
At Alabama, Younger was a silky-smooth operator within the pocket with expert-level contact and timing. He was powerful, poised and inventive. His 5-foot-10, 204-pound body is the one purpose he ranked this low on the record — that damage his predraft analysis. Younger adopted up a Heisman-winning 2021 season by throwing for 3,328 yards, 32 landing passes and 5 interceptions for the Crimson Tide in 2022.
He struggled early in his NFL profession and was benched early in his second season. However Younger rebounded after successful again the beginning job, ending with the Twelfth-best QBR (65.8) from Week 10 till the top of the 2024 season. He was up-and-down in 12 months 3, ending twenty second in QBR (47.6) but in addition throwing for 3,011 passing yards and 23 touchdowns in main the Panthers to their first playoff berth in eight seasons.
Drafted: No. 2, New York Jets
It’d appear to be a distant reminiscence now, however there have been groups that had Wilson rated greater than Lawrence within the 2021 draft. Wilson performed off-platform and off-schedule, dominating defenses with a wonderful deep ball and superior means to evade cross rushers. He additionally hit his peak on the proper time, coming alive in his junior season and shrugging off damage points that plagued his first two seasons at BYU.
Wilson has change into a cautionary story after scouts propelled him up boards following a flashy season and flashier professional day exercise. He was traded to the Broncos following three tough years in New York through which he threw 23 landing passes to 25 interceptions and accomplished simply 57% of his passes. He didn’t get on the sector with Denver in 2024 and made backup cameos in 4 video games with the Dolphins final season.
Drafted: No. 2, Houston Texans
A 25-game starter at Ohio State, Stroud left school with a unbelievable 21-4 report and a wild 85-12 touchdown-to-interception ratio. He hit each mark when it comes to arm energy, mobility, poise and toughness. Some scouts raved about his last efficiency — a playoff showdown in opposition to Georgia — and his mix exercise. And a few most well-liked the identified commodity of Stroud’s tape to the query mark of Younger’s dimension within the lead-up to the 2023 draft. Stroud completed his final collegiate season with an 88.9 Complete QBR (second within the nation) and accomplished 66.3% of his passes.
He hit the bottom operating in Houston, successful Offensive Rookie of the 12 months in 2023 and main the Texans to playoff wins in every of his first three seasons. It hasn’t been all nice, as Stroud had a little bit of a sophomore stoop in 2024 (12 interceptions and a 46.8 QBR) and threw 4 interceptions in Houston’s divisional spherical loss to the Patriots final season.
Faculty: Indiana
My present total rating: No. 2
The highest quarterback within the present draft class, Mendoza hasn’t obtained the hype of former No. 1 total picks however is deserving of all of the love as he enters his predraft cycle. Mendoza is a clear, crisp passer who excels with pinpoint accuracy, on-time decision-making and sufficient mobility to threaten defenses. “He’ll bore you to demise after which beat you by 40 factors,” mentioned an AFC East scout.
Mendoza broke out in 2025, throwing for 3,535 passing yards, 41 landing passes and simply six interceptions on his method to the Heisman and a nationwide title. If that sounds so much like what Joe Burrow did for LSU in his last season earlier than being the No. 1 choose within the 2020 draft, it is for good purpose. Like Burrow, Mendoza is at his finest within the pocket and appears to degree up as soon as defenses tough him up.
Drafted: No. 10, Minnesota Vikings
McCarthy left Michigan following his true junior season after main the Wolverines to a nationwide championship. Scouts had been involved about his relative lack of expertise and eye-popping manufacturing in Jim Harbaugh’s offense, which was predicated on the run sport and stout protection. Following a powerful predraft course of, McCarthy was my No. 4 quarterback within the 2024 class. But when he had stayed an additional 12 months at Michigan, there is no doubt he would’ve been the No. 1 QB in 2025.
McCarthy suffered a knee damage and missed his complete rookie NFL season after battling with Sam Darnold for the beginning job throughout coaching camp. Accidents and inconsistency had been issues for him final season, as he accomplished solely 57.6% of his passes whereas throwing extra interceptions (12) than landing passes (11). Due to this fact, his beginning standing is tenuous getting into the 2026 season.
Drafted: No. 3, San Francisco 49ers
The 6-foot-4, 224-pound Lance began solely 17 video games — all in opposition to FCS groups — at North Dakota State, together with one sport in his last season. However that pattern dimension was sufficient to persuade Niners GM John Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan to commerce up for him. He wowed scouts with upside and his means to torch defenses with each his operating and area imaginative and prescient.
Lance’s NFL profession by no means actually bought going, as he suffered a season-ending ankle damage in Week 2 of the 2022 season. Brock Purdy turned the 49ers’ starter late that season and thrived, and Lance was traded to the Cowboys for a fourth-round choose previous to the 2023 marketing campaign. Lance hasn’t performed a lot since that commerce, serving because the Cowboys’ third-string quarterback for 2 seasons earlier than signing with the Chargers as a free agent in 2025. He began the regular-season finale for Los Angeles and performed briefly in three different video games.
Drafted: No. 4, Indianapolis Colts
Richardson completely personifies the perfect fashionable quarterback: massive, robust and quick, with an arm that may simply fling the ball 75 yards when given room to function. However he began solely 13 video games in school and had fewer than 300 cross makes an attempt in a Florida offense that by no means discovered its footing underneath coaches Dan Mullen and Billy Napier. Richardson additionally accomplished solely 54.7% of his passes and threw 24 landing passes to fifteen interceptions in school. So whereas there was a ton of upside when the Colts took him with the No. 4 choose, there was additionally lots of danger.
Richardson could be atop this record if it had been all about bodily traits. He has an enormous arm and ran a 4.43-second 40-yard sprint on the mix. However he had his detractors as a prospect resulting from a scarcity of expertise and accuracy issues. These points — plus a rookie season stuffed with accidents — stunted his improvement.
In three seasons, Richardson has performed in 17 of 51 attainable video games amid accidents, a quick benching in 2024, shedding the beginning competitors to Daniel Jones previous to final season and a weird orbital fracture damage throughout pregame warmups in October. He has 13 interceptions to 11 landing passes, and 10 speeding touchdowns alongside 9 fumbles. And Richardson has now been given permission by the Colts to hunt a commerce.
Drafted: No. 11, Chicago Bears
When Fields entered the draft, some scouts and evaluators noticed him as equal to Lawrence, very similar to the 2 had been popping out of highschool in 2018. However others believed Fields was propped up by the scheme and expertise round him at Ohio State. That is a part of the explanation the two-time Heisman finalist, who went 20-2 with 67 landing passes to simply 9 interceptions, fell out of the highest 10 in a quarterback-driven league.
Fields had a troublesome rookie season (31.4 QBR) however threw 17 landing passes and ran for 1,143 yards in 2022. Fields’ QBR dropped practically 10 factors in 2023 (56.3 to 46.9) earlier than he was traded to the Steelers for a conditional sixth-round choose. He spent one season with Pittsburgh earlier than signing a two-year cope with the Jets in free company final offseason. Fields was restricted to 9 video games with New York in 2025 due to accidents and inconsistency (57.7% completion share and a 37.8 QBR), placing his long-term NFL future in limbo.
Drafted: No. 15, New England Patriots
Jones, the fifth quarterback drafted in 2021, was a extremely regarded pocket passer out of Alabama with restricted upside however a secure flooring. He led the FBS in completion share (77.4%) and was second in landing passes (41) in main the Crimson Tide to the nationwide championship in 2020.
Predraft comparisons to Matt Ryan and Chad Pennington pointed to a scarcity of elite arm energy and mobility in Jones’ sport, however additionally they highlighted environment friendly, correct passing traits. That was the case early in his profession, as Jones accomplished 67.6% of his passes for 22 touchdowns and 13 interceptions whereas main the Patriots to the playoffs as a rookie.
Jones made the Professional Bowl that 12 months, however his efficiency declined the following two seasons. He was traded to the Jaguars for a sixth-round choose in 2024 and performed in 10 video games after Lawrence was misplaced to damage, throwing eight touchdowns to eight interceptions. He noticed a rebirth after signing with the 49ers final offseason, making eight begins for the injured Purdy. He threw for two,151 passing yards and 13 touchdowns with a QBR of 62.3 and could possibly be a sexy candidate for a QB-needy group to commerce for this offseason.
Drafted: No. 12, Denver Broncos
Nix was graded as an early-Spherical 2 participant with starter upside due to his accuracy, mobility and expertise — he had a three-year stint at Auburn earlier than becoming a member of Oregon in 2022. Nix’s means to make performs on the transfer and management had been large pluses in his analysis, however the greatest asset was his improvement over his last two years in school, culminating in a 45-touchdown season with solely three interceptions in 2023. The key purpose he wasn’t rated greater was his age, as he turned 24 previous to his rookie season.
Nix hit the bottom operating as a rookie, main the Broncos to their first playoff berth since 2015. He constructed on that in his second season, throwing for 3,931 passing yards and 25 touchdowns in 2025 to assist lead the Broncos to a 14-3 report and the AFC Championship Recreation. He fractured his ankle late in Denver’s divisional spherical win over the Payments, however Nix (54 passing touchdowns and 9 speeding touchdowns in two seasons) has match into Sean Payton’s offense properly.
Drafted: No. 1, Tennessee Titans
Ward, who transferred from Incarnate Ward to Washington State after which lastly to Miami, enormously improved every program he performed for in school. In 2024, he led all FBS passers with 39 landing passes and completed second in passing yards (4,313). Ward has the arm expertise to make each throw within the playbook, utilizing a shortstop movement when crucial to search out passing home windows.
Evaluators had been torn on Ward, although. Some scouts I spoke with thought he was a respectable top-five participant in his class and could be a Spherical 1 quarterback in most lessons. Others believed he was nearer to a Spherical 2 participant who was elevated due to the poor top-end QB expertise in his draft 12 months. I are likely to aspect with the second viewpoint.
Ward’s statistics had been tough as a rookie, as he accomplished 59.8% of his passes for 3,169 passing yards, 15 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. His QBR of 33.2 was twenty eighth and final amongst all certified quarterbacks. However his coach was fired early in his rookie season, and his QBR was a lot better in his final eight video games (48.3, twentieth) than his first 9 (21.9, final), suggesting a possible 12 months 2 leap.
1:07
Brian Daboll excited to work with Cam Ward
Turron Davenport explains how excited Titans offensive coordinator Brian Daboll is to work with QB Cam Ward.
Drafted: No. 8, Atlanta Falcons
The largest shock of the 2024 first spherical by far was the place Penix was chosen and who took him. The Falcons beloved his deep ball and improvement at Washington following three seasons at Indiana. Penix was red-hot to finish his school profession, throwing 67 landing passes to simply 19 interceptions in his last two seasons. He led Washington to the Pac-12 title and the nationwide title sport in 2023 after an undefeated common season.
Penix’s inventory would have been greater, however there have been issues about him having 4 straight season-ending accidents and his age (24). The damage issue cropped up once more in 2025, as he was sidelined after 10 video games with a torn ACL. The Falcons’ authentic plan for Penix getting into the NFL was to sit down him behind veteran Kirk Cousins in 2024. However Penix finally performed 5 video games, beginning three, as a rookie earlier than taking the beginning job final season, when he accomplished 60.1% of his passes for 1,939 passing yards, 9 touchdowns and three interceptions.
Drafted: No. 25, New York Giants
Dart did not rank as a first-round quarterback on my 2025 board, coming in at No. 37 total, however the Ole Miss product emerged as a starter for the Giants as soon as Russell Wilson proved to be ineffective. The Giants’ commerce up and choice of Dart final April was seen as a attain by these across the league. However as one rival GM instructed me the week after the draft, “It would not matter the place you or I had him ranked in the event that they wanted a quarterback and assume he is the man.”
Dart performed effectively in his 15 video games, throwing for 15 touchdowns to simply 5 interceptions whereas showcasing a dual-threat means (487 speeding yards, 9 touchdowns) that permits him to maneuver the chains as soon as he can higher shield himself. Accidents resulting from massive hits whereas scrambling restricted Dart’s availability and might be a vital studying level as he enters 12 months 2.
Drafted: No. 20, Pittsburgh Steelers
The opinions on Pickett had been blended when asking evaluators to grade his sport. He ended up being the one quarterback taken within the first spherical of a weak 2022 class, and the one one drafted within the first 73 picks (the very best 2022 QB, Purdy, was chosen with the ultimate choose of the draft). Pickett threw 42 landing passes throughout his last season at Pitt, however he additionally lacked arm energy.
He accomplished solely 63% of his throws and threw 9 interceptions over 13 video games as a rookie. Pickett wasn’t capable of set up himself because the long-term reply in Pittsburgh, shedding his beginning job in 2023 earlier than getting traded to the Eagles in 2024. He was traded twice extra in 2025, from the Eagles to the Browns within the spring and from the Browns to the Raiders within the preseason.
