CBS Sports’ latest look at the 2026 college football landscape did more than rank the top 150 players. It also opened the door for a handful of NFL scouts, college general managers and personnel executives to fire off their opinions on who belongs and who doesn’t. And when they were asked to pick the most overrated names from the top 10, two quarterbacks rose to the top of the conversation: Oklahoma State’s Drew Mestemaker and Texas’ Arch Manning.
Mestemaker drew the strongest pushback, and it mostly came down to two things - the jump in competition and the kind of money Oklahoma State had to pay to get him. One high-ranking ACC personnel executive told CBS Sports, “Feel like most would point to Arch here but I go with Drew,” says a high-ranking ACC personnel executive.
“Think the rest of the list is proven and really legit talents. In my mind, Drew is the one and only unproven player at the Power Four level.
(I) like some of the traits and he has ability, but I’m rolling with him because I think he is overpaid and (Oklahoma State) won’t even make a bowl game.”
A Big Ten general manager wasn’t ready to place Mestemaker above some of the other elite quarterbacks on the board, either. “I’m not sure I’d put (Drew) above (Jayden) Maiava or (Julian) Sayin in terms of pure talent.
I don’t think you can put him above (John) Mateer, either. That’s crazy now that I think about it.
No way. He’s the second-best quarterback in that state.”
The skepticism lands even after Mestemaker’s massive year at North Texas, where he threw for 4,379 yards, 34 touchdowns and only nine interceptions. He also helped guide the Mean Green to 12 wins for the first time in program history, doing it alongside head coach Eric Morris, who followed him to Oklahoma State in the offseason.
Still, the move from an American Conference schedule to the Big 12 is a major test. Mestemaker also carries a hefty $7 million NIL price tag, which only makes the scrutiny louder. He’ll have to prove he can handle the leap if he wants to shake the overrated label.
Manning, meanwhile, is the kind of name that invites instant debate. One anonymous NFL evaluator told CBS Sports that Manning wasn’t a top 10 quarterback, much less a top 10 player, though when pressed to name 10 better options, he couldn’t do it.
That tension follows Manning everywhere. His mechanics and uneven play are the main reasons some evaluators are hesitant, even though his numbers were solid: 3,163 passing yards, 26 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
The four-touchdown showing against Michigan in the Citrus Bowl only added fuel to the discussion, and his last name ensures the conversation never really cools off. Avoiding the overrated label probably requires a huge, Heisman-winning season, and that kind of standard comes with the territory for the next Manning up.
Quarterbacks accounted for most of the criticism overall, with Ole Miss’ Trinidad Chambliss and Oregon’s Dante Moore also drawing votes.
But the skepticism didn’t stop there. Miami receiver Malachi Toney and Ole Miss running back Kewan Lacy were both mentioned as overrated by some evaluators, even after producing big numbers.
Toney went over 1,200 receiving yards last season and finished with 122 yards and a touchdown in the CFP championship loss to Indiana. Lacy piled up more than 1,500 rushing yards and scored 24 touchdowns as Ole Miss reached the CFP semifinal against Miami.
Then there’s Jordan Seaton, the LSU offensive tackle who spent his first two college seasons at Colorado under Deion Sanders. Seaton was a freshman All-American and followed that with a second-team All-Big 12 nod as a sophomore. If LSU can’t keep Sam Leavitt upright this season, Seaton is going to be one of the names people point to.
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For Ole Miss, that means the challenge is bigger than just protecting its quarterback. SEC defenses can throw more tailored looks at Chambliss, from quarterback spies to tighter coverage on the outside, while the Rebels work to evolve their offense around those adjustments. The expectation is that Chambliss will have to evolve with it, because the same approach that once caught people off guard will not be there to lean on again. [Read more 🡒]