2026 NFL Draft quarterback rankings with Derrik Klassen | Football 301

March 31, 2026·1 hr 26 min·5 clips

Derek Klassen says Garrett Nussmeier’s range is pick 50 to 90 and compares his best-case outcome to Brock Purdy.

Nate Tice and Derek Klassen spend the show on the 2026 NFL draft quarterback class. The conversation starts with Fernando Mendoza, whom the episode treats as a future number one pick. It then widens to Garrett Nussmeyer, Ty Simpson, Talon Green, Carson Beck, Cole Payton, and several late-round dart throws. The pace stays brisk. Rather than ranking quarterbacks by buzz alone, they keep asking what kind of NFL investment each one really is. That means weighing size, arm talent, athletic profile, system fit, and how much room a player still has to grow. Nussmeyer gets a deeper look. Klassen calls him polished and advanced, then quickly gets to the question of whether there is much more to unlock. The sub-205 weight conversation becomes a real checkpoint. It is not treated like a throwaway detail. The episode then turns to precedent. Kirk Cousins comes up as the most useful comparison, with other high-drafted passers like Bo Nix and JJ McCarthy used as points of reference. Those comparisons keep the discussion grounded. They show how much quarterback evaluation depends on what a team is willing to believe, not just what a player has already done. The episode also keeps circling back to pro-style system logic. That gives the tiers a football reason, not just a vibes reason. The show is comfortable correcting itself and doubling back when a detail needs another pass. That looseness makes it feel like a real board conversation rather than a scripted ranking reveal. By the end, the listener has a clearer picture of the big names, the day-two range, and the late-round swings. The class never settles into certainty, but the episode does a good job of showing why the quarterback market is always a little messy.

As heard by us

A brisk quarterback board that stays grounded in draft logic and concrete comparisons.

Football 301 turns its attention to the 2026 quarterback class, moving through Fernando Mendoza, Garrett Nussmeier, Ty Simpson, Talon Green, Carson Beck, Cole Payton, and the late-round dart throws.

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Use this when you want a quarterback preview in one sitting.

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