2026 QB class: NFL Draft analyst calls 2026 draft class “already better” than Cam Ward & co

The 2026 NFL draft is almost a year away, but for ESPN draft analyst Jordan Reid, the 2026 QB class is better than this year's without playing a single snap in their final college season.

Appearing on SportsCenter after releasing his way-too-early mock draft, Reid gave his take on the 2026 QB class, which he compared to 2023, when three signal-callers were taken with the top four picks.

This year, Cam Ward was the only quarterback selected in the first 24 picks.

"I think it's already better than last year's Draft class, and we are just talking about the totality of the depth. But it's very comparable to what we saw in 2023, with Bryce Young, CJ Stroud, and Anthony Richardson. I don't think it's there yet, as far as getting three quarterbacks inside of the top four, but I think it has the potential to," Jordan Reid said.

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In his mock, Reid has four quarterbacks going in the first eight picks, including Clemson Tigers QB Cade Klubnik going first to the Cleveland Browns, who drafted Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders this year.

He also has South Carolina's LaNorris Sellers going at No. 4 (New York Jets), LSU's Garrett Nussmeier at No. 7 (Los Angeles Rams) and Drew Allar going at No. 8 (New Orleans Saints).

While doing a mock draft this early is tricky, it does serve as a thermometer for how the 2026 QB class is viewed. Having teams like the Browns and Saints taking a signal-caller a year after drafting day-two quarterbacks is also an indictment of how this year's class is viewed.

LaNorris Sellers, the wild card of the 2026 QB class

One of the biggest surprises in Jordan Reid's mock was having LaNorris Sellers as the second signal caller of the 2026 QB class coming off the board. Sellers has only 12 career starts, but he showed promise in the Gamecocks' six-game winning streak to close out the 2024 season.

"He has a lot of Donovan McNabb, Anthony Richardson-type of traits as a runner. He needs to continue to develop as a passer, but he is one name that a lot of people are already excited about," Jordan Reid said.

While Richardson was the fourth pick in the 2023 Draft, his career hasn't taken off yet, with the Indianapolis Colts bringing in Daniel Jones to compete with the former Florida Gator for the starting job.

Sellers passed for 2,534 yards, 18 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. He also ran for 674 yards and seven touchdowns last season. He will enter his sophomore season in 2025, so he could stay at Columbia for a couple more years.

About the author

Allan Wolburg Robles is a College Sports journalist at Sportskeeda with over 17 years of experience in the field writing for publications including Reforma, Yahoo! OddsShark and Apuesta. Allan studied Communications at Anáhuac University, where he learned what would become the basis of a trade that was already a dream of his before starting college.

His favorite team is Army West Point as when he was young, Allan lived in West Point for a couple of years, went to pretty much every home game, a couple of Army-Navy games and even got to meet some of the players.

Allan's favorite players of all time include Tommie Frazier, who was unbelievable during the Nebraska dynasty of the early 90's. Tim Tebow was also a favorite, mainly because of his leadership skills, although he was also awesome on the football field. As a fan of defensive football, (or what's left of it), Sean Taylor could take over a game for Miami.

Allan has always considered himself a student of the game more than a fan of it. So the historical part and evolution of the game, as well as the ins and outs of what happens on the field, and being able to put it into words for the audience, are his biggest strengths.

Besides sports, Allan enjoys reading books, watching movies and spending time with his dogs.

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Edited by Chaitanya Prakash