Football is a team sport, but the NFL is a quarterback’s league.
The MVP award is reserved almost exclusively for quarterbacks, and even though there are countless factors that determine a team’s success or lack thereof, the chatter often revolves around signal-callers.
Considering that, it’s not much of a surprise to see that the top-four candidates to be the first player off the board in the 2026 NFL Draft are all quarterbacks.
According to Polymarket Sports, Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza is currently leading the race at 42 percent.
He’s tied with Oklahoma’s John Mateer, and followed closely by the likes of LaNorris Sellers (South Carolina, 41 percent) and Garrett Nussmeier (LSU, 41 percent).
2026 NFL Draft 1st Overall pick odds:
1. Fernando Mendoza – 42%
2. John Mateer – 42%
3. LaNorris Sellers – 41%
4. Garrett Nussmeier – 41%— Polymarket Sports (@PolymarketSport) October 19, 2025
Of course, we’re still months away from the NFL Draft, and we know just how quickly and drastically things can change at this point.
There’s no guarantee that young players like Sellers will declare for the NFL Draft.
The 2026 NFL Draft was supposed to be one of the most stacked at the most crucial positions in all team sports, but that may no longer be the case.
Arch Manning might be the most disappointing prospect in college football history, given the unprecedented hype around him, and while he might still turn out to be a superstar, he will clearly benefit from staying in college for a little longer.
As for Drew Allar, his fall from grace has been a huge talking point.
That has left the door wide open for outsiders like Mendoza, and it’ll be hard to take him down from the top spot.
