Way too early look at the 2026 QB class

Did Moore say that he isn't declaring? I think not declaring for him would be a massive mistake. Same for Sellers. If both players are going to be drafted in the first round (in Moore's case he might go top 10), then why go back and risk injury and poor play? This is a very weak QB class at the top. Simpson, Moore, and Mendoza are all the top prospects and its pretty likely all will be drafted early. Sellers won't likely make it out of the first either. Both should declare imo.

Wild to see how a "high end class" turned into a bad class over the course of like 8-10 weeks.

 

A bad class? Asside for the players you mentioned.

Manning needs more seasoning time.

Allar needs a new head coach and OC. He needs better receivers, but he is an arm talent. He is also out for the year. A bit hyped.

Mateer lost his mojo.




Okay, but Stockton is an option for us in round one if he comes out. Worth a gamble for us.

Robertson is an intriguing player to consider in round two

King is a super foot athlete, who is passing for a lot of yards recently. Another guy to consider for round two.




Guys need to work out and have their combines and pro days first.

The top 5 QB prospects need to be drafted in round one because he won't be there in round two late for us.

 

Personally I don't love Stockton. Undersized dual threat QB... I think that him and Mateer are similar guys and Mateer has more tools to work with. Honestly Stockton is a Day 3 pick to me, but he has eligibilty for 27, so I see him going that route. Don't see much upside for him in the NFL. IDK much about Robertson. King is a poor man's Justin Fields. If we want King, we can get him Day 3 or UDFA. Another dual threat guy that is going to have a hard time adjusting to the NFL passing game.

Really the Round 2 guys are Sorsby, Nussmeier, Klubnik, Maiava, Mateer and Allar... At least at this point. Allar's tools are too good for him to fall too far, but I could see him go late 2 or early 3. The others are all just dependent on what teams are thinking/wanting with their guys. I don't think all will go round 2, some will drop to round 3... but those are the guys that are most likely. Mendoza, Moore, Simpson, and Sellers are the only real round 1 possibilities.

Next year's class looks far more exciting than this years (though we thought this year's class was supposed to look good and look how that turned out). Marcel Reed, Julian Sayin, Arch Manning, DJ Lagway, Dylan Raiola, Sam Leavitt, CJ Carr, etc. Hell, the top 4 prospects in this year's draft all have eligibility for next year, so maybe one of them stays... Though, with a poor QB class this year, I'd expect all 4 to declare, even if they are hinting at returning. Heck, even some of the guys that I consider decent prospects this year have eligibility for next in Sorsby and Maiava. Next year's class could be absolutely killer. This year's class looks bad past the top couple guys.

 

Neither was I. Biggest critique is that throwing motion. Yikes!!


Regardless, Darian wasn't going to declare anyways. Should he declare?! Man... there is definitely a team that wants him in the worst way possible.

 

Moore and Sellers have both been rumored to return to school. If anything, in Sellers case, he is very much likely to transfer elsewhere. For Moore, Oregon's NIL Money might as well be a money glitch at this point given their boosters. Only way Moore doesn't return is if he is considered a Top 10 Pick. A majority of the National Media believes he is. I believe he is going in the First Round... but I personally don't have him ranked among my Top 10; just outside of it. Why?!


He holds onto that ball... way... too... long. Indiana got him good repeatedly. As with any NFL Team, once they have a weakness?!.. they will pounce on it over and over. Not only that, how he handles pressure is also concerning; his overall mechanics break down and break down rapidly too quickly for my liking. In addition, Moore doesn't have the strongest arm despite having arguably the best natural arm talent in the class. Remember Arm Strength and Arm Talent are two completely different things. My biggest worry though is his frame; barely over 205lbs. Dude is going to need an NFL Weight Room the second he gets drafted. If anything, him being redshirted will do him some good.


This all said, what Moore does have is accuracy, athleticism but most of all, "it factor". Doesn't matter who it seems to be, Dante has shown, even in his limited starting sample size, he will rise to any occasion. Those factors, combined with his anticipatory skills, great throwing release, pre snap processing and coverage diagnosis are well worth banking on.

 

Yeah, I've heard those rumors too... and TBH with Moore I think it would be a big mistake. I mean, he could return to school, put up huge numbers and be a top prospect anyways, but I think many teams will view him as the #2 QB in this class... He's almost certainly a top 10-15 pick for a lot of the reasons you listed in the bottom paragraph of your post. All the QB's in this class have concerns, and I think his are the most easily fixable. Yes, he could handle pressure better, but he's such a good processor that he might mitigate taking pressure by just getting the ball where it needs to go. Brady wasn't good against the blitz because he was good at dealing with pressure as an athlete... it was because he saw the blitz early, was rarely fooled, and got it out on time and on target to the best spot to exploit the rush. Lots of young QB's hold onto the ball, I think we can work with that given his strengths. I just think he risks being the #2 in this class, goes back to school, has a good year, and still sits behind the likes of Sayin and Reed, while allowing Lagway, Carr, Leavitt, and Manning the opportunity to show out and surpass him. I'd come out if I was him.

Sellers is a harder to figure out prospect. I don't think he's incapable as a passer (much like I thought Richardson or Willis were), but he does have a ton of work to do. He will have to be on the "Jalen Hurts plan" which essentially means a team will have to commit to him, coach him up, and live with the growing pains. Hurts and Allen didn't really break out until year 3 starting, and I could see a similar case with him. If he goes back to school, he HAS to go somewhere where the HC is great at developing QB's. Lane Kiffin comes to mind. Or a place that is willing to base their offense in the RPO game (maybe Indiana?). If he's just going to return to SC, then he should just go to the draft and start developing in a place that believes in him and will be capable of getting him up to speed in the NFL game.

Either way, if I am the Steelers, I pass on this year's class unless we can make a move for Simpson, Moore, or Mendoza. There are a couple names in the tier 2 list that seem okay (Nuss being one), but is he worth the investment to be the franchise guy when waiting a year gives us a better class to choose from? I'd almost rather see us go with a WR or DL/CB in the first and build the team out. Give Howard a shot, and if we suck... oh well... get the QB we want and move forward with a better built roster. We simply can't throw a rookie into the current list of WR's on the squad and expect them to succeed.