Inside the Fierce Battle: Which Two Quarterbacks Are Poised to Dominate the 2026 NFL Draft?

Quarterbacks have been the crown jewels of the NFL Draft for nearly a decade—seven of the last eight No. 1 overall picks have been signal-callers, and if history (and the hype machine) holds true, another QB will claim that spot in 2026. But here’s the kicker: which promising arm will take the throne next? The 2025 draft felt like a bit of a dry spell for quarterback stock—Cam Ward stole the spotlight as the top pick, with Jaxson Dart showing up late in the first round. Fast forward to 2026, and the landscape looks ripe with talent. Arch Manning, with a family tree boasting NFL royalty, and Drew Allar, the Big Ten’s touchdown king and near-champ from Penn State, are neck and neck in the betting odds. Of course, if we’ve learned anything from recent drafts—think Cam Ward emerging from nowhere—it’s that these odds aren’t gospel, and surprises are par for the course. So, who’s the next big shot destined for NFL immortality? Let’s dive into the swirling buzz and make sense of the mayhem. LEARN MORE

A quarterback has been the No. 1 overall pick in seven of the last eight NFL Drafts and there’s every reason to believe another QB will be taken first in the 2026 NFL Draft. So which one will it be?

The 2025 NFL Draft was considerably less robust in terms of quarterback talent according to most draft analysts. After Cam Ward was taken No. 1 overall by the Tennessee Titans, the only other quarterback taken in the first round was Jaxson Dart near the end of the round. 

But in 2026, there are expected to be a lot more quarterbacks worthy of a first-round pick. 

As it stands, two quarterbacks have emerged as the clear favorites to get that coveted top overall spot. According to Bovada, the odds are highest for Texas quarterback Arch Manning (+200) and Penn State quarterback Drew Allar (+225). Only LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier comes close at +450. Every other quarterback has odds of 18/1 or longer.

Who’s going to go 1st overall in next year’s #NFLDraft?

Arch Manning +200
Drew Allar +225
Garrett Nussmeier +450
Cade Klubnik +1800
Caleb Downs +2500
Carson Beck +3000 pic.twitter.com/cMt7ZWUOh9

— Bovada (@BovadaOfficial) April 27, 2025

The hype around Arch Manning is entirely understandable, if a bit premature. His grandfather and both of his uncles were Pro Bowl quarterbacks and are all NFL legends. That said, Arch hasn’t entirely proven on the football field yet that he belongs in their tier just yet. He hasn’t even started more than a couple of games.

Allar is probably the most NFL-ready of the ones expected to come out in 2026. He just led Penn State to the cusp of a national championship and led the Big Ten in touchdown passes as a sophomore the year before. Were it not for Manning’s upside, there’s every reason to believe Allar might be the consensus top quarterback heading into next season.

But anything can happen over the course of a single college football season. 

This time last year, nobody even had Cam Ward as an NFL prospect, let alone the No. 1 QB in the draft. 

Joe Burrow, Kyler Murray, and Jared Goff are also a few big names that can attest to coming out of practically nowhere to become megastars en route to NFL stardom.

There’s no guarantee that Manning or Allar will even leave after the 2025 college football season either. 

We’re doing an awful lot of guessing right now. 

Related: Warren Moon Shows True Character With Cam Ward Announcement