ESPN’s Matt Miller and Field Yates have split opinions as to the third quarterback in the 2026 NFL draft class behind Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza and Alabama’s Ty Simpson.
Miller wrote that LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier deserves the spot as a Day 2 pick after telling reporters he is “100 percent” recovered from the abdominal injury that limited him throughout his final college season.
He pointed to Nussmeier’s 2024 season, during which the LSU quarterback racked up 4,052 passing yards while recording 29 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 13 games.
Nussemeier’s touchdown-to-interception ratio then climbed to 12-to-5 through nine games of the 2025 campaign before he was shut down due to his injury.
Miller wrote that Nussmeier “lacks elite measurables, but his instincts, accuracy and high ball velocity are traits teams can build around.”
Yates pointed to Miami’s Carson Beck, who he projected as a third-round pick due to the quarterback’s size, passing accuracy and experience.
Beck, who measured in at 6-foot-5 and 233 pounds at the NFL scouting combine, made 27 starts for Georgia and 16 for Miami while completing 69.8 percent of his passes during his last three college seasons.
“Scouts are extremely impressed with his overall acumen as a player,” Yates wrote.
The latest 2026 NFL draft big board by Bleacher Report ranks Nussmeier as the draft’s third quarterback behind Mendoza and Simpson, with Penn State’s Drew Allar earning the No. 4 spot ahead of Beck.
The list of top-10 quarterbacks on the B/R big board is rounded out by Clemson’s Cade Klubnik, North Dakota State’s Cole Payton, Arkansas’ Taylen Green, Baylor’s Sawyer Robertson and Illinois’ Luke Altmyer.
Both Mendoza (No. 1) and Simpson (No. 26) are slated in the latest Bleacher Report mock draft to come off the board in the first round. All other quarterbacks are projected to have to wait until at least Day 2 to hear their names called after the 2026 NFL draft begins on April 23 in Pittsburgh.
