NFL Confidential: Scouts, Execs Not Too High on QBs in 2026 NFL Draft

The calendar just turned to December. But for a handful of NFL fanbases, draft season has already arrived. 

However, unlike many other NFL Drafts, there isn't a clear and consensus No. 1 overall prospect as the college football season winds down. That might be a problem for the number of teams that'll need some quarterback help this offseason, as they debate whether to use a first-round pick on a quarterback in April or kick the can down another year. But with conference championship weekend here and the College Football Playoff on the horizon, there's still time for a quarterback to rise up and deem themselves as the No. 1 prospect in the 2026 NFL Draft. 

Which quarterback currently sits as the most likely to be picked first next April? Who could rise up draft boards? How do people around the NFL feel about the quarterbacks that could be selected in the 2026 draft?

FOX Sports NFL reporters Ralph Vacchiano and Eric D. Williams surveyed the league and got the answers to those questions. 

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Ralph Vacchiano: There was a time last spring when NFL teams (and fans) looked ahead to the 2026 draft and saw the potential for quarterback gold. Even a few teams seemed to punt on the shallow Class of 2025 in the hopes of better options in a deeper class one year later.

But now that appears to have been a losing bet. A quarterback class that was once thought to include maybe a half-dozen potential first-rounders might only end up with two or three. Former sure things like Arch Manning (Texas), Garrett Nussmeier (LSU), LaNorris Sellers (South Carolina), Carson Beck (Miami), Drew Allar (Penn State) and Cade Klubnick (Clemson) all seem to have faded due to injuries, disappointing performances or, in some cases, both.

And yes, some