Top 5 Quarterback prospects in 2026 NFL Draft

Ahead of the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine, Field Level Media draft analysts ranked the top prospects at every position.

There is only one quarterback -- Indiana's Fernando Mendoza, the 2025 Heisman Trophy winner who helped the Hoosiers claim the national title -- worthy of a first-round grade.

But quarterbacks rise as the draft closes in and reality hits the teams without a certifiable QB at the center of their plans.

Which one -- or two? -- could rise in 2026?

Quarterbacks are on the road to the draft with the NFL Scouting Combine next week, arriving in Indianapolis on Wednesday and Thursday for medical evaluations. They'll conduct media sessions on Friday and be on the field Saturday for position drills, agility tests and the 40-yard dash.

Pro days often take precedent at this position. Indiana's Fernando Mendoza plans to hold off on throwing until the on-campus workout and pro day in Bloomington on April 1.

1. Fernando Mendoza, Indiana

Tall, well-built pocket passer with quick release and rapid, high-level processing speed. Wins with excellent anticipation, accuracy and ball placement.

2. Ty Simpson, Alabama

Well-rounded with adequate arm strength, accuracy, even as a one-year starter who battled inconsistency and ended the season hurt (ribs).

3. Taylen Green, Arkansas

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If he runs a 4.5 and would consider changing positions, there will be some interest. Green might prefer to utilize his genetic lottery-winning trains -- exceptional size and speed -- to give QB a try. He's the very definition of boom-or-bust.

4-T. Carson Beck, Miami

Wins with accuracy and ball placement and is tough as a blitz-beating pocket passer. Arm strength isn't elite.

4-T. Garrett Nussmeier, LSU

NFL bloodlines and ties with current Saints offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier. He's a known commodity to pro teams and two-year starter in the SEC. But injuries led to sloppy mechanics and poor production last season, when he wound up sharing the QB1 role. Earned back some points with a strong Senior Bowl, but the final grade depends almost entirely on which team is doing the math.

5. Cade Klubnik, Clemson

With footwork and athletic tools, Klubnik is a pro system QB candidate because of his accuracy on short and intermediate throws. His height, top-end arm talent and deep ball accuracy limit his ceiling.

--Finding a wildcard at quarterback has forever been a front-office mission in the NFL. This year's mid-round find could come from North Dakota State. Cole Payton, a pocket passer who thrived in the FCS with an attack mentality, can also move if the system calls for mobility or RPO-based action. Trust he will be opening eyes during QB throwing sessions at Lucas Oil Stadium. The southpaw stuck with NDSU despite hearing from Nebraska and other FBS programs late in his senior season and it has begun paying off. He got a lot of attention in Mobile at the Senior Bowl for his timing and arm talent.

--Field Level Media

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February 19, 2026

Top 5 Quarterback prospects in 2026 NFL Draft

Ahead of the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine, Field Level Media draft analysts ranked the top prospects at every position. ...

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Charlie Baker again backs plan to expand NCAA tournament in the future, noncommittal on timeline

Charlie Baker is still very much on board with the NCAA tournament expanding in the near future.

The NCAA president reiterated his support for a plan to expand the annual basketball tournament in the near future, something he's long been in favor of. What that looks like, or when it happens, remains to be seen.

"We're still talking to the various players in this one," he said on Thursday,via ESPN. "I said all along that I think there are some very good reasons to expand the tournament.

"So, I would like to see it expand."

The NCAA tournament men's field currently sits at 68 teams, with the last expansion coming back in 2011. That brought in the "First Four" round, which cuts the field from 68 to 64 for the first round. The women's NCAA tournament officially expanded to 68 teams in 2021, too. That marked the most notable expansion in the tournament since it doubled in size from 32 in 1985.

But expanding the tournament further is an idea that has been thrown around in recent years. The NCAA basketball selection committeesmet last summer and learned that expansion, if approved, would likely start during the 2026-27 campaign. That would likely expand the field to either 72 or 76 teams. It's unclear if the women's tournament would expand at the same time.

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Baker insisted Thursday that he wasn't worried about how the NCAA would fund the expanded tournament. The biggest challenge has long been simply a logistical one with the basketball calendar. Several major men's conference tournaments run right up to the selection show — the Big Ten championship game ends moments before that show starts and teams are announced — and the NCAA tournament ends the week that the Masters starts. That doesn't leave much time for added games.

There wereseveral notable teams that were just barely left out of the tournament last season, including both Indiana and West Virginia. An expanded field almost certainly would have meant they would have been included.

"From my point of view, the more teams we can get into the tournament and make it work logistically and mathematically, the better," Baker said. "It gives more kids the opportunity to experience that."

But of course, expanding the field wouldn't eliminate the snub conversation. It would just push it back by four, or eight, spots.

Regardless, the NCAA seems set on expanding the tournament in the future. Whether that happens in 2027, or a few years down the road, remains to be seen.

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February 19, 2026

Charlie Baker again backs plan to expand NCAA tournament in the future, noncommittal on timeline

Charlie Baker is still very much on board with the NCAA tournament expanding in the near future. The NCAA pres...

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No. 17 St. John's continues winning ways against Marquette

Bryce Hopkins had 23 points and 10 rebounds and Oziyah Sellers added 12 points as 17th-ranked St. John's held off Marquette 76-70 in a Big East matchup Wednesday in Milwaukee, extending its winning streak to 12 games.

St. John's (21-5, 14-1 Big East) moved atop the conference, a half-game in front of No. 5 UConn, which was upset by Creighton 91-84 on Wednesday. The Red Storm have not lost since a 77-71 setback against Providence on Jan. 3.

Nigel James Jr. scored 25 points and Royce Parham put up 13 for Marquette (9-18, 4-12 Big East), which has lost four of its past five games.

Joson Sanon's 3-pointer put St. John's up 67-61 with 6:37 remaining, but neither team scored again until Zuby Ejiofor hit a free throw with 4:10 left to make it 68-61.

Sanon's free throw put St. John's up 71-63 with just under three minutes left. Adrian Stevens hit a 3-pointer and Tre Norman sank the second of two free throws to pull Marquette within 71-67 with 44 seconds remaining.

James converted a three-point play to make it 72-70 with 27.5 seconds left. Ejiofor's two free throws pushed the lead to 74-70 with 21.1 seconds remaining.

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Marquette's Chase Ross missed a baseline runner and Hopkins added a pair of free throws.

Marquette erased a nine-point halftime deficit with an 11-point run to open the second half. Ross' 3-pointer from the top put the Golden Eagles in front 46-44 as St. John's missed its first five shots after the break.

James scored on consecutive drives to put Marquette in front 56-50 with just under 12 minutes remaining.

St. John's responded with a nine-point run, going in front 59-56 on Hopkins' 3-pointer.

St. John's closed the first half with a 10-4 run for a 44-35 halftime lead. The Red Storm shot 54.8% in the first half, hitting seven of their final eight shots.

For the game, the Red Storm outshot the Golden Eagles 44.8% to 42.6%.

--Field Level Media

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February 19, 2026

No. 17 St. John's continues winning ways against Marquette

Bryce Hopkins had 23 points and 10 rebounds and Oziyah Sellers added 12 points as 17th-ranked St. John's held off ...

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Skiers with roots in Lake Tahoe's alpine community among 8 killed in California avalanche

TRUCKEE, Calif. (AP) — After days of increasingly brutal conditions in California's Sierra Nevada, a group of 15 backcountry skiers set out for home. But as they left remote huts at thousands of feet of elevation and trekked back toward the trailhead, they were slammed by atreacherous avalanchethat left eight dead and one missing.

California Avalanche

With avalanche warnings in effect through early Thursday, officials were still waiting for thepowerful stormto clear so they could recover the bodies of the victims of Tuesday's avalanche, the nation's deadliest in nearly half a century. Officials have not yet released the names.

The ski group involved has deep ties to the alpine recreation community in Lake Tahoe, including the elite Sugar Bowl Academy, which issued a statement late Wednesday mourning the loss of victims with "strong connections to Sugar Bowl, Donner Summit and the backcountry community."

It did not say how the skiers, said to range in age from 30 to 55, were connected to the school, which offers alpine and backcountry ski instruction and academics for young athletes.

"We are an incredibly close and connected community," Sugar Bowl Academy executive director Stephen McMahon was quoted as saying in the statement. "This tragedy has affected each and every one of us."

Four in the group were guides fromBlackbird Mountain Guides, which offers mountaineering and backcountry ski trips as well as safety courses across the West and internationally. One of them was among the six survivors.

The three-day tour, which began Sunday, was for intermediate to expert skiers, according to the company's website.

The tour company said in a statement Wednesday night that it has launched an investigation and paused field operations at least through the weekend while it prioritizes supporting the victims' families.

The company guides who led the group were trained or certified in backcountry skiing and were also instructors with the American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education.

While in the field, they "are in communication with senior guides at our base, to discuss conditions and routing based upon conditions," founder Zeb Blais said in the statement.

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"We don't have all the answers yet, and it may be some time before we do," the company said. "In the meantime, please keep those impacted in your hearts."

Mayor Max Perrey of Marin County's Mill Valley, a small city about 14 miles (22 kilometers) north of San Francisco, confirmed that some in the group were women from his city. He was not able to provide additional details but told The Associated Press via email that more information would be released later.

The Sierra Avalanche Center issued an avalanche watch Sunday morning, and that was elevated to a warning by 5 a.m. Tuesday, indicating that avalanches were expected. It is not clear whether the guides would have known about the change before they began their return trek.

Authorities described a harrowing scene as the survivors scoured the snow for the missing and waited six hours for help to arrive in blizzard conditions. They found three of the bodies, Nevada County Sheriff Shannan Moon said.

The skiers all had beacons that can send signals to rescuers, and at least one guide was able to send text messages. But it was not clear whether they were wearing avalanche bags, which are inflatable devices that can keep skiers near the surface, sheriff's Capt. Russell "Rusty" Greene said.

One of those rescued remained hospitalized Wednesday, Moon said.

Three to 6 feet (91 centimeters to 1.8 meters) of snow has fallen in the area since Sunday. The area was also hit by subfreezing temperatures and gale force winds.

The avalanche isthe deadliest in the U.S. since 1981, when 11 climbers were killed on Mount Rainier in Washington state, and the second deadly avalanche near Castle Peak this year, after asnowmobiler was buriedJanuary. Each winter the slides kill 25 to 30 in the country, according to the National Avalanche Center.

The area near Donner Summit, where the ski trip took place, is one of the snowiest places in the Western Hemisphere and until just a few years ago was closed to the public. The summit is named for the infamous Donner Party, a group of pioneers who resorted to cannibalism after getting trapped there in the winter of 1846-1847.

Watson reported from San Diego, and Golden from Seattle. Associated Press writers John Seewer in Toledo, Ohio, Christopher Weber in Los Angeles and Trân Nguyễn in Sacramento contributed.

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February 19, 2026

Skiers with roots in Lake Tahoe's alpine community among 8 killed in California avalanche

TRUCKEE, Calif. (AP) — After days of increasingly brutal conditions in California's Sierra Nevada, a group of 15 back...

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No. 11 Gonzaga easily makes it 35 straight vs. San Francisco

Graham Ike scored 22 points on 10-of-17 shooting to help No. 11 Gonzaga roll to an 80-59 victory over host San Francisco in West Coast Conference play on Wednesday night.

Mario Saint-Supery had 14 points and six assists and Emmanuel Innocenti registered 12 points, eight rebounds and four steals as the Bulldogs (26-2, 14-1 WCC) defeated the Dons for the 35th consecutive time.

Jalen Warley added 11 points for Gonzaga in a contest played at the Chase Center, home of the Golden State Warriors. Ike has scored 20 or more points in each of his past eight games.

Tyrone Riley IV scored 16 points and Mookie Cook added 12 for San Francisco (15-14, 7-9). Legend Smiley had 10 for the Dons, who have lost six of their past eight games.

San Francisco's most recent victory over Gonzaga came in 2012, a 66-65 home triumph.

The Dons shot 35.7% from the field, including 5 of 24 (20.8%) from 3-point range, and trailed by as many as 24 points.

Gonzaga knocked down 54.8% of its attempts and made 5 of 17 (29.4%) from behind the arc.

The Dons trailed 48-38 after a 3-pointer by Cook with 16:13 left in the game.

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Adam Miller scored the next five Gonzaga points and Saint-Supery added a trey to increase the lead to 18 with 14:14 to play.

Just past the midway point of the second half, Innocenti buried a 3-pointer to make it 64-43.

Ike later drilled a 3-pointer and followed with a hook shot to make it 78-56 with 1:36 left as the Zags closed it out.

Ike scored 13 first-half points to help the Bulldogs lead 41-29 at the break.

Just seven-plus minutes into the game, Gonzaga led by eight before the Dons ripped off nine straight points. Riley capped the surge with a trey to give San Francisco a 17-14 advantage with 8:34 left in the half.

The Dons led 19-18 after a basket by Smiley with 6:40 remaining before the Bulldogs scored the next nine. Ike had two baskets during the spurt and Saint-Supery ended it with a 3-pointer to give Gonzaga a 27-19 lead with 5:01 left.

Davis Fogle's three-point play gave the Bulldogs a 14-point edge with 6.6 seconds to go until intermission.

--Field Level Media

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February 19, 2026

No. 11 Gonzaga easily makes it 35 straight vs. San Francisco

Graham Ike scored 22 points on 10-of-17 shooting to help No. 11 Gonzaga roll to an 80-59 victory over host San Francis...

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No. 10 Illinois overwhelms USC by 36 points, cruising to its 14th win in 16 games

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Andrej Stojakovic scored 22 points to lead seven players in double figures and No. 10 Illinois routed Southern California 101-65 on Wednesday night for its 14th win in 16 games.

Illinois USC Basketball

Blue and orange-clad fans were out in force for the Fighting Illini's first game against the Trojans in Los Angeles since 1975. The Illini (22-5, 13-3 Big Ten) didn't disappoint, leading all the way to maintain a hold on second place in the conference standings behind No. 1 Michigan.

The Illini were up by 22 at halftime, and poured it on to start the second half. They outscored the Trojans 21-10, hitting five 3-pointers and extending the lead to 75-42. Stojakovic capped the spurt with a steal and one-handed slam that drew cheers.

Stojakovic was 6 of 7 from the floor and made all nine of his free throws. David Mirkovic added 14 points. The Illini hit 24 of 26 free throws while sending USC to its biggest loss of the season.

Illinois made 13 3-pointers, and at one point in the second half was shooting equally as well from long range as from the floor overall (46%). Visiting fans took turns shouting "I-L-L" with the other side of the arena responding "I-N-I."

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Ezra Ausar scored 15 points and Jacob Cofie added 14 for USC (18-8, 7-8), which lost its second straight and fell to 0-4 against ranked teams. The Trojans were without second-leading scorer Chad Baker-Mazara (18.3 points per game) because of a strained knee. They committed 14 turnovers that led to 22 points for the Illini.

Up next

Illinois visits UCLA on Saturday.

USC remains in the Pacific time zone for its final five Big Ten games, starting Saturday when Oregon visits.

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign uphereandhere(AP News mobile app). AP college basketball:https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-pollandhttps://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball

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February 18, 2026

No. 10 Illinois overwhelms USC by 36 points, cruising to its 14th win in 16 games

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Andrej Stojakovic scored 22 points to lead seven players in double figures and No. 10 Illinois routed ...

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Italy wins the toss and elects to field against West Indies in its last T20 World Cup game

KOLKATA, India (AP) —Italywon the toss and elected to field against high-flying West Indies in its lastT20 World Cupgame on Thursday.

West Indies Italy T20 WCup Cricket

West Indies has already qualified for theSuper 8swith three consecutive wins in Group C and is in Group 1 with co-host India, Zimbabwe and South Africa. New Zealand, England, Pakistan and Sri Lanka are in Group 2 of the second round.

Harry Manenti continues to lead Italy, playing its first-ever major ICC global event, after captain Wayne Madsen wasruled out of the tournamentwhen he dislocated his shoulder at the same venue while fielding in the opening group game against Scotland.

Manenti hoped his bowlers would get some swing in the day game and take some early wickets.

"Hope there's a bit in the wicket," Manenti said at the toss. "We take some confidence from the England game and West Indies is another powerful team."

Italy was beaten by Scotland and England in group games but shocked much-fancied Nepal with a resounding 10-wicket win in Mumbai.

West Indies top-order batters have scored aggressively with captain Shai Hope, Shimron Hetmyer and Sherfane Rutherford scoring half centuries across the three group games.

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Hope said he didn't mind losing the toss because "it's not in our hands" as West Indies went with an unchanged squad that beat Nepal by nine wickets in the last game.

Later Thursday

Zimbabwe, whichknocked out Australiafrom the tournament, concludes its group stage with a game against Sri Lanka in Colombo later Thursday.

Afghanistan, which made the semifinals in 2024 and lost a thrillingdouble tiebreakeragainst South Africa this past week, will meet Canada in its last Group D match.

West Indies: Brandon King, Shai Hope (captain), Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford, Matthew Forde, Roston Chase, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosain, Shamar Joseph, Gudakesh Motie.

Italy: Justin Mosca, Anthony Mosca, Syed Naqvi, Harry Manenti (captain), J.J. Smuts, Ben Manenti, Grant Stewart, Gian-Piero Meade, Crishan Kalugamage, Thomas Draca, Ali Hasan.

AP cricket:https://apnews.com/hub/cricket

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February 18, 2026

Italy wins the toss and elects to field against West Indies in its last T20 World Cup game

KOLKATA, India (AP) —Italywon the toss and elected to field against high-flying West Indies in its lastT20 World Cupgame ...

Read More