The volatility and unpredictability of the 2025 college football season has permeated the group of draft-eligible quarterbacks.
ESPN repolled 25 NFL scouts and executives to determine who would be the first quarterback taken in the 2026 NFL Draft, with results significantly different from six weeks earlier.
In the latest survey, Indiana‘S Fernando Mendoza was the top vote getter with 13 votes, leading to oregon‘S dante moore (6) and alabama‘S ty simpson (3). Notably, none of those quarterbacks received a vote in the first ballot, and all have eligibility remaining.
The other three quarterbacks to receive votes were oklahoma‘S john mater (1), cincinnati‘S Brendan Sorsby (1 more South Carolina‘S Lanoris Cellars (1). Only Sellers and Mateer got votes in the first voting.
“It’s not a great class,” one scout told ESPN. “If you maybe add [who have eligibility and could leave school]Now this gets interesting. The top is definitely better than last year’s class.”
The top of this year’s crop has flipped since September 20, when seven different quarterbacks received votes, with Sellers (8) standing out LSU‘S Garrett Nussmeyer (7). Both players and their teams have struggled this season. Others who received votes in the first QB1 poll were miami‘S carson beck (3), meter (3), penn state‘S Drew Allar (2), arizona state‘S Sam Levitt (1 more texas, arch manning (1).
Sentiment regarding the class has soured a bit since early voting. With Sellers and Nussmeyer’s play declining, Allard suffered a season-ending injury and Manning didn’t look even close to what his family and recruiting pedigree projected.
While Mendoza is the top vote-getter, he has yet to establish himself as the No. 1 overall pick. He’s trending that way, but there’s no conviction behind those speculations yet.
transferred from mendoza period And has taken a leap under the tutelage of coach Curt Cignetti and offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan and quarterbacks coach Chandler Whitmer. His completion percentage is up from 68.7% to 72.3%, and he has thrown 25 touchdowns, nine more than last season at Cal. He has also rushed for four touchdowns and is averaging 9.5 yards per attempt, up from 7.8.
What do scouts like? They start with the basics of his height at 6 feet 5 inches and weight of 225 pounds. He idolizes Tom Brady, who is viewed as a strong North Star for a prospect.
“He has ‘wow’ throws and the ability to play the passer,” one scout told ESPN. “He can anticipate post-snap.”
Another added: “He’s decisive, and he sees everything well. He has accuracy on the field and he’s very strong in the pocket.”
had a game against iowa Where Mendoza hung in the pocket and was decked by a Hawkeyes linebacker while delivering a perfect ball to a receiver in tight coverage.
Moore’s emergence has been sudden. He has started 13 games, including five. UCLA Before taking backup in 2023 dillon gabriel At Oregon last season. Moore, a redshirt sophomore who entered college as ESPN’s No. 2 overall player, is 6-3 and weighs 206 pounds. He attempted only eight passes last season, but has maximized his starting role in 2025 with 19 touchdowns, a 71.4% completion percentage and 1,772 passing yards.
Simpson had not started a game until this season, leading to speculation in NFL circles that he would return to college. (Quarterbacks with fewer than 25 starts have no consistent track record of NFL success.) Simpson has burst onto the radar with 20 touchdowns and just one interception. He has completed 67.8% of his passes and thrown for 2,184 yards.
Sorsby may be the biggest surprise. While they struggled in high-wattage venues nebraska And utahHe has clearly made progress.
One scout summed him up this way: “He’s big, tough, athletic and smart. He’s a leader and can play off-schedule and change arm angles. He’s got ‘it’.” I think he’s very talented.”
