QB bonanza ahead
Mock drafters now say the 2026 class could unload QBs early — one seven‑round mock projects as many as 11 quarterbacks off the board in Round 1, underscoring a historically QB‑heavy draft outlook. ESPN and CBS panels published detailed three‑ and seven‑round mocks this week, with teams like the Steelers, Jets and Cardinals repeatedly linked to early QB attention. (cbssports.com) (espn.com)
ESPN’s four‑analyst, three‑round mock — assembled by Mel Kiper Jr., Matt Miller, Jordan Reid and Field Yates — opens with Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza at No. 1 to Las Vegas. (espn.com) Bleacher Report flagged a notable omission in that ESPN panel: Alabama’s Ty Simpson was not placed on Day 1 in this four‑expert projection, signaling divergence among evaluators over Simpson’s first‑round upside. (bleacherreport.com) CBS’s new seven‑round mock by Josh Edwards likewise slots Fernando Mendoza at No. 1 and publishes a full 1–32 Day 1 projection alongside the complete April 23–25 draft schedule in Pittsburgh. (cbssports.com) That CBS piece also reminds readers that five franchises — the Jaguars, Falcons, Colts, Packers and Broncos — enter the draft without a Day‑1 pick, a structural detail that affects which QB‑needy clubs must pursue signal‑callers via later rounds or trades. (cbssports.com) The NFL Mock Draft Database shows dozens of updated mock boards converging on Mendoza as QB1 while various outlets rotate prospects such as Ty Simpson, Dante Moore, LaNorris Sellers and Garrett Nussmeier into differing first‑round windows across simulations. (nflmockdraftdatabase.com) ESPN’s separate QB rankings list Fernando Mendoza and Ty Simpson atop the quarterback board and place multiple passers in a contested top‑12, underscoring why some analysts see several first‑round QB fits while others keep prospects on Day 2. (espn.com)
