AAF REPORT: No Clarity Yet At Top of 2026 NFL Draft Board
Several candidates remain in play to be taken as the No.1 overall pick of the 2026 draft. We examine which prospects could soar to the top spot in this week's edition of the World Famous AAF Report.
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AAF DAILY SHOW: WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2025
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NO CLARITY YET AT THE TOP OF THE 2026 NFL DRAFT
With the first month of NFL action in the books, there are still three teams who remain winless. All currently 0-4, the New Orleans Saints, New York Jets and Tennessee Titans, have become frontrunners to land the No. overall pick. It would appear that two of those organizations in the Saints and Jets would be in the market for a quarterback. So who are some of the potential candidates who could land at No.1 overall?
As we sit approximately 200 days away from the 2026 NFL Draft in Pittsburgh, the QB Class isn’t shaping up to be a very strong one. However, a lot can happen between now and April to sway the minds of talent evaluators. The current favorite, according to the odds, is Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza. Through five games, the big-armed signal-caller has already matched his 16 touchdown passes from a year ago (11 games played at California in 2024), with just one interception. He has proven to make all the throws and is playing highly efficient, completing 73% of his passes.
While Mendoza has come up clutch in recent weeks against Iowa and Illinois, he lacks the experience and big game pedigree such as Miami quarterback Carson Beck. Having started 27 games the past two years at Georgia, Beck has positioned the undefeated Hurricanes for a national championship run, completing passes at an impressive 73.2% clip. His poise, experience and arm talent might just make him the most pro-ready quarterback amongst this year’s draft class.
An arousing win in Week 1 over Clemson had begun the Garrett Nussmeier hype train but the LSU signal-caller has struggled mightily since then, playing through a torso injury as a result of ‘too much throwing’ during training camp, in addition to a patellar knee injury which flared up on him in August. The injuries have noticeably impacted Nussmeier whose ball velocity has dipped, as the Tigers downfield passing attack has been non-existent. Standing in at shade under 6-foot-2 and 205 pounds, NFL evaluators could begin to question the long-term durability of Nussmeier at the next level. LSU enters a bye week and head coach Brian Kelly has stated in the past that his star quarterback could ‘shut it down’ this week in an attempt to heal.
The wild card of the bunch would be LaNorris Sellers of South Carolina, who brings all the tools that NFL decision-makers crave but has a ways to go in terms of his passing development. A physical, bruising runner Sellers absorbs numerous big hits and had to leave the Vanderbilt game due to a head injury. Overall, it has been an up-and-down type year for Sellers who is still a one-read quarterback at this juncture. While the alluring talent is sure to draw plenty of intrigue, there will be a hefty risk/reward proposition for NFL teams targeting the signal-caller atop the draft much like Anthony Richardson (Colts). Will somebody roll the dice?
Another candidate would be Oregon hot shot Dante Moore, who has injected himself into the conversation with a Heisman-worthy campaign during the first month of the season, which included a masterful performance this past weekend in the Ducks upset win over Penn State. Lastly, while draft pundits have been quick to dismiss Texas quarterback Arch Manning, it’s still possible that he emerges at the top of the big board. Coming off a ‘get-right’ performance against Sam Houston State, Manning seems to have re-discovered his mojo and enters a career-defining stretch with upcoming games at Florida and versus Oklahoma. One thing is clear, the race to be the top signal-caller in the Class of 2026 remains wide open.
Finally, should the Tennessee Titans land the first overall selection, the No.1 overall pick would not be a quarterback, since they chose Cam Ward with the first pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. This year’s draft isn’t expected to produce blue-chip talent such as Abdul Carter Jr. (Giants) or Travis Hunter (Jaguars) but a few top non-quarterback candidates have emerged. Miami edge rusher Rueben Bain Jr. has been playing like a man possessed, racking up a career-high 44 tackles through the first four games, including two sacks, three forced fumbles and an interception. Meanwhile, Caleb Downs of Ohio State is a dark-horse candidate who could become the first safety in the history of the NFL Draft to be chosen No.1 overall.
SPORTS RAGE: LATEST NFL DRAFT ODDS - WHO WILL BE NO.1?
All Access Football host Ric Serritella joins Sports Rage host Gabriel Morency every Tuesday for more REAL football talk. Tune-in for the latest NFL Draft odds, an in-depth look at the Class of 2026 QB Class, plus Thursday Night Football preview between the San Francisco 49ers at Los Angeles Rams and more. LISTEN HERE
THIS WEEK AT ALL ACCESS FOOTBALL
In case you missed any of the updates this week at All Access Football, here’s a look at our latest reports:
NFL POWER RANKINGS
RANK || TEAM || RECORD
Philadelphia Eagles (4-0)
Buffalo Bills (4-0)
Los Angeles Rams (3-1)
Detroit Lions (3-1)
Kansas City Chiefs (2-2)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-1)
Indianapolis Colts (3-1)
Los Angeles Chargers (3-1)
Jacksonville Jaguars (3-1)
Baltimore Ravens (1-3)
NFL QUARTERBACK RANKINGS
RANK || PLAYER || TEAM
Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills
Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles
Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens
Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams
Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys
Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders
Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers
Jared Goff, Detroit Lions
Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers
NFL GENERAL MANAGER RANKINGS
RANK || GM || TEAM
Howie Roseman, Philadelphia Eagles
Brett Veach, Kansas City Chiefs
Les Snead, Los Angeles Rams
Eric DeCosta, Baltimore Ravens
Jason Licht, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Brad Holmes, Detroit Lions
Adam Peters, Washington Commanders
Nick Caserio, Houston Texans
Brian Gutekunst, Green Bay Packers
Terry Fontenot, Atlanta Falcons
NFL HEAD COACH RANKINGS
RANK || COACH || TEAM
Andy Reid, Kansas City Chiefs
Sean McVay, Los Angeles Rams
Sean Payton, Denver Broncos
Nick Sirianni, Philadelphia Eagles
Kevin O’Connell, Minnesota Vikings
John Harbuagh, Baltimore Ravens
Jim Harbaugh, Los Angeles Chargers
Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh Steelers
Kyle Shanahan, San Francisco 49ers
Dan Campbell, Detroit Lions
CFL POWER RANKINGS
RANK || TEAM || RECORD
Montreal Alouettes (8-7)
Winnipeg Blue Bombers (8-7)
Saskatchewan Roughriders (10-4)
Hamilton Tiger-Cats (9-6)
BC Lions (8-7)
Calgary Stampeders (8-6)
Toronto Argonauts (5-10)
Edmonton Elks (6-9)
Ottawa Redblacks (4-10)
CFL QUARTERBACK RANKINGS
RANK || PLAYER || TEAM
Bo Levi Mitchell, Hamilton Tiger-Cats
Nathan Rourke, BC Lions
Vernon Adams Jr., Calgary Stampeders
Nick Arbuckle, Toronto Argonauts
Trevor Harris, Saskatchewan Roughriders
Cody Fajardo, Edmonton Elks
Zach Collaros, Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Dru Brown, Ottawa Redblacks
Davis Alexander, Montreal Alouettes
McLeod Bethel-Thompson, Montreal Alouettes
NCAA POWER RANKINGS
RANK || TEAM || RECORD
Ohio State Buckeyes (4-0)
Oregon Ducks (5-0)
Miami Hurricanes (4-0)
Oklahoma Sooners (4-0)
Ole Miss Rebels (5-0)
Alabama Crimson Tide (3-1)
Georgia Bulldogs (3-1)
Texas A&M Aggies (4-0)
Penn State Nittany Lions (4-1)
Texas Longhorns (3-1)
NCAA QB RANKINGS
RANK || PLAYER || TEAM
Dante Moore, Oregon
Garrett Nussmeier, LSU
Carson Beck, Miami
Fernando Mendoza, Indiana
LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina
Arch Manning, Texas
John Mateer, Oklahoma
Drew Allar, Penn State
Sam Leavitt, Arizona State
Jordan Maiava, USC
NCAA HEAD COACH RANKINGS
RANK || COACH || TEAM
Ryan Day, Ohio State
Kirby Smart, Georgia
Dabo Swinney, Clemson
Dan Lanning, Oregon
Marcus Freeman, Notre Dame
Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss
Mario Cristobal, Miami
Matt Campbell, Iowa State
Curt Cignetti, Indiana
Steve Sarkisian, Texas
ELF POWER RANKINGS
RANK || TEAM || RECORD
Stuttgart Surge (11-2)
Vienna Vikings (11-2)
Munich Ravens (11-1)
Nordic Storm (10-2)
Rhein Fire (8-4)
Madrid Bravos (8-4)
Prague Lions (7-5)
Paris Musketeers (7-5)
Frankfurt Galaxy (6-6)
Raiders Tirol (6-6)
ELF QUARTERBACK RANKINGS
RANK || PLAYER || TEAM
Reid Sinnett, Madrid
Jadrian Clark, Nordic
Jakeb Sullivan, Berlin
Ben Holmes, Vienna
DJ Irons, Wroclaw
Reilly Hennessey, Stuttgart
Russell Tabor, Munich
Isaiah Weed, Helvetic
Jaylon Henderson, Paris
Matthew McKay, Frankfurt
IFL POWER RANKINGS
RANK || TEAM || RECORD
Vegas Knight Hawks (13-6)
Green Bay Blizzard (12-7)
Quad City Steamwheelers (12-6)
San Diego Strike Force (11-7)
Bay Area Panthers (13-4)
Tulsa Oilers (10-7)
Jacksonville Sharks (10-7)
Arizona Rattlers (10-7)
Massachusetts Pirates (7-9)
Fishers Freight (7-9)
IFL QUARTERBACK RANKINGS
RANK || PLAYER || TEAM
Jayden De Laura, Las Vegas
Max Meylor, Green Bay
TJ Edwards, Tulsa
James Cahoon, Iowa
Kenji Bahar, Massachusetts
Dalton Sneed, Arizona
Nate Davis, San Diego
Josh Jones, Bay Area
Jorge Reyna, Tuscan
Daquan Neal, Quad City
UFL POWER RANKINGS
RANK || TEAM || RECORD
DC Defenders (8-4)
Michigan Panthers (7-5)
Birmingham Stallions (7-4)
St. Louis Battlehawks (8-3)
Arlington Renegades (5-5)
Houston Roughnecks (5-5)
Memphis Showboats (2-8)
San Antonio Brahmas (1-9)
UFL QUARTERBACK RANKINGS
RANK || PLAYER || TEAM
Bryce Perkins, Michigan
Jordan Ta’amu, DC
Luis Perez, Arlington
Matt Corrall, Birmingham
J’Mar Smith, Birmingham
Max Duggan, St. Louis
Jalan McClendon, Houston
Danny Etling, Michigan
Dresser Winn, Memphis
Kellen Mond, San Antonio
AF1 POWER RANKINGS
RANK || TEAM || RECORD
Albany Firebirds (12-0)
Nashville Kats (7-5)
Salina Liberty (7-6)
SW Kansas Storm (7-7)
Billings Outlaws (6-6)
Oregon Lightning (5-8)
Corpus Christi Tritons (3-7)
Washington Wolfpack (2-10)
Kentucky Barrels (Just Added)
AF1 QUARTERBACK RANKINGS
RANK || PLAYER || TEAM
Jalen Morten, SW Kansas
Sam Castranova, Albany
Tyler Kulka, Nashville
Malik Henry, Billings
Fred Payton, Corpus Christi
Rakeem Cato, Salina
Dalton Cole, Oregon
Javin Kilgo, Salina
Adam Kruse, Washington
Robert McCoy, Albany
OFFICIAL 2026 NFL DRAFT BIBLE
The Official 2026 NFL Draft Bible is used by all 32 NFL teams and is the preferred draft guide for professional leagues around the globe. Compiled by REAL scouts, the Draft Bible delivers in-depth evaluations with boots on the ground analysis.
[The Official 2026 NFL Draft Bible — Included With All Access Football Annual Pass]
Scouting Reports: Detailed evaluations on draft-eligible prospects, with an equal emphasis on small school players from the mid-majors, FCS, DII and DIII ranks.
Projections & Rankings: The most accurate NFL Draft projections made available to the public. Over 1,000 players listed for the 2026 & 2027 NFL Draft Classes.
Official Measurements: True measurements and performance metrics from the NFL Scouting Combine and all-star game circuit, plus verified pro day numbers.
Background Reports: Learn about the players off the field with our background reports, which includes character, medical, high school profiles and stats.
Exclusive Interviews: On location across the nation, we gather quotes from players, coaches, general managers, scouts and various football industry professionals.
Final Mock Drafts: Our ultimate draft forecasts from the AAF scouting department.