The quarterback picture in the NFL has changed fast, and the draft has been the biggest reason why. Teams that used to spend years hunting for an answer under center are finding one earlier, and the last few classes have already started to reshape the league.
That’s the backdrop for these rankings heading into the 2026 season: a look at the projected starting quarterbacks from the 2024 through 2026 draft classes, with rookies automatically slotted behind players who have already taken snaps. The question is simple enough. Which of these quarterbacks gives his team the best chance to chase a Super Bowl soon?
- Carson Beck, Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals may look like a team that’s headed for a rough year, but there is talent on the roster, and that matters for whoever ends up playing quarterback. Beck could be part of that picture before long.
Arizona also looks like a team in evaluation mode, which makes a Beck start during the season feel very possible. Mike LaFleur is entering his first year as head coach, and that usually buys a little patience while the organization keeps building. Beck himself isn’t being handed a blank scouting report, either.
He spent much of the college season projected as a first- or second-round pick, and the appeal is easy to understand. He may not have the biggest arm or the flashiest athletic profile, but he can run an offense and give a team a chance. Arizona will be hoping he can be the next version of Tyler Shough.
- Fernando Mendoza, Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders say Kirk Cousins is supposed to handle the whole season, but that plan feels shaky from the start.
A quarterback taken 1st overall after winning the Heisman Trophy and a National Championship isn’t usually parked on the sideline for long. Nothing is guaranteed, of course, but it would be a real surprise if Mendoza never got the job in 2026. If Las Vegas hits any rough stretch, the pressure to play him will only grow.
There’s also a natural fit here because Mendoza has a veteran mentor in Cousins, and the two share some stylistic traits. Mendoza was excellent in the biggest moments for the Hoosiers this past season, he throws with impressive accuracy, and he looks like a player built to stick in the league.
In Other News...
Cardinals Draft Secrecy Is Suddenly At Center Of A Troubling Claim
The Cardinals tightly guarded draft process has been pulled into an uncomfortable spotlight, with attorney Mike Caspino pushing back hard against allegations involving director of college scouting Ryan Gold. Caspino said Gold was not involved in gambling and did not pass along inside information about draft picks, while also describing the betting at issue as small wagers made by Golds wife with friends.
The broader concern for Arizona is less about one isolated claim than the way draft secrecy can become part of the story when a team keeps its board so closely held. Caspino has already said he plans to appeal the decision tied to the allegations, leaving the case open and the Cardinals waiting to see whether the matter is resolved cleanly or drags on into a longer fight. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Receiver Room Suddenly Carries More Pressure Than Fans Realize
Training camp opens July 22 with rookies and veterans arriving together, and that alone gives the Cardinals a different kind of summer feel. With Mike LaFleur installing a new offensive scheme, the receiver room is going to be under a microscope from the first workout, especially after the team added Kendrick Bourne and Reggie Virgil to a group that already needs more from Marquise Brown and Rondale Moore.
The bigger pressure point is not just who fits the new system, but who can make it through the camp grind and carve out a role in it. Arizona has brought in more competition at receiver, and the early days of camp should start sorting out which players can actually stick once the offense begins to take shape. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Enter Camp With Major Availability Questions Still Hanging
The Cardinals are heading into camp with the kind of health questions that can linger well past the first padded practice. Several important pieces are still working their way back from injuries suffered last season, including Harrison, who was still not fully 100 percent in June after dealing with heel issues, and James Conner, who has been rehabbing a foot injury while working off to the side and has no clear return timeline yet.
There is some better news in the mix. Tight end Reiman is expected to be ready to roll after an ankle injury, and J.J. Nolen is trending toward being available for camp after meniscus surgery that kept him out of OTAs and minicamp. But rookie Kaleb Proctors torn meniscus adds another layer of uncertainty, and the Cardinals will spend the opening stretch of camp trying to sort out who can actually stay on the field once the work ramps up. [Read more 🡒]