Way too early look at the 2026 QB class

Chad Powers or bust!

 

I mean, the missed tackles are concerning, but he does get around the ball a ton (some of the missed tackles are certainly due to being near a play that lesser players wouldn't be near). We can have a discussion around what we should pay Queen after next season when he is a FA (or just extend him at a lesser number than what he's at now). But I don't think this defense gets a ton better by shipping Queen off an drafting Styles. Even if Styles is a PB/AP caliber player, there's still a gap beside him that can be exploited. I think a perfect world sees a lesser cap hit on Queen and the two play together.

In this scenario, we'd have to be in range to take Styles (which I guess is possible, even if we have to trade up a few spots). I wouldn't be entirely shocked if the Steelers really likes Styles.

 

Sellers NIL deal is estimated at just under $4m a season. He turned down $8 million from another school (supposedly) to transfer from S. Carolina. Every single 1st round pick will make more tha $4 million a year over their 4 year deal in the league. The top 13 picks make more that $6 million a season, and the top 7 picks will make more than $8 million.

Kids will have to weigh their NIL deal against where they think they should get picked in the draft nowadays. I think Sellers would've been a first round pick this year (especially since there is a possibility that 2 of the top 3 QB's who would be ahead of him could return to college in Moore and Simpson). I don't think it was a bad decision, as a big year could move him further up the board... but it is risky since there are good options coming out next year.

Manning and Sayin will start the year ahead of him (and righfully so), with guys like Simpson and Moore still yet to declare for 26 who also would start the year ahead of him (I'd assume Moore leaves, as he's my QB1 in the class by a mile. I assume Simpson stays unless he balls out in a deep run). There's Lagway and Raiola in the portal. There's Maiava, Leavitt, Iamaleava, Mateer, Sorsby, CJ Carr, Marcel Reed all with an opportunity to strengthen their case to be at the high end of the class. There's obviously time for this to change (this year's class looked good pre-season and now doesn't look so hot), but I think overall it should be a high caliber class.

 

Thanks for the correction
I wasn’t quite sure how much

 

Arch Manning just put on a clinic against the Wolverines. He had a rough start to the season but now looks like the best QB in college football. Arch is going back to Texas for another year though but he will almost certainly be the #1 pick in 2027.

 

I get that this is a QB Specific Thread but I am warming up more and more with the prospect of drafting Vega Ioane from Penn State. Some might say that the IOL room is complete. I disagree.


Spencer Anderson is good but not of starting NFL capability at IOL. Vega is and can be a very good contributor year one. Vega would be worth the first pick for certain.

 

I'd rather invest 6-8 million in the FA market than invest our first round pick. I think the bang for the buck is better if we go and get a solid starting LG and draft a WR or a DL in the first and second round. We can still draft IOL in the 3rd if we wanted (with any of our 3 picks) and see if we get a good player. Ioane is a good prospect, but I think that we have more pressing needs.