Wilson’s 2026 NFL mock draft 3.0: Wide-open QB race creates chaos at the top of board
With no sure-fire franchise QB, front offices could be forced to shift their focus to foundational defensive playmakers
Dec 5, 2025
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12:10 pm ET
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1 min read
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This quarterback class was supposed to be deep. Really deep. The first round would be littered with future stars destined to lift even those franchises that consistently got it wrong. But it didn’t take long for reality to hit. A few weeks into the college season, it became obvious this class was many things, but deep wasn’t one of them.
If the 2025 class was light at the quarterback position — two went in Round 1, and another went in Round 2 — the 2026 version could look similar. Garrett Nussmeier, Cade Klubnik and Drew Allar were all billed as potential first-rounders entering the fall. All were in their final year of eligibility. And all have been disappointing enough that they now project as Day 3 darts, not franchise cornerstones.
Meanwhile, Fernando Mendoza, Dante Moore and Ty Simpson are the three best draft-eligible quarterbacks in the ’26 class. All three could technically return to school for another season. And while that doesn’t seem realistic, it would shock absolutely no one if two of them — Moore and Simpson — did, in fact, forgo the draft until 2027.
The shorter version: this draft is wide open.
Teams desperate for quarterbacks will need contingency plans — free agency, trades, or simply punting to 2027, knowing full well how dangerous that gamble can be.
For version 3.0 of this mock draft, I still have three quarterbacks going in the first round … but five of the top 10 picks — Nos. 1, 3, 4, 6 and 10 — are defensive players.
Note: This is the current NFL Draft order entering Week 14’s Sunday slate (via Tankathon).
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