"We've seen some of these really talented quarterbacks, like they're not playing to the level."
Todd McShay has been covering the NFL Draft for over 20 years and he is seeing the same things Urban Meyer is when it comes to the "studs" in this year's quarterback draft class. In his first 2026 Mock draft in the Spring, he had four quarterbacks slotted to go in the top 10 - Clemson's Cade Klubnik, LSU's Garrett Nussmeier, South Carolina's LaNorris Sellers, and Penn State's Drew Allar.
"Klubnick has not played to the level. I was hoping he was going to take another step. He's not playing loose. I see a quarterback who comes into games and is a little too amped up." McShay broke down Klubnik when asked about him on this week's episode of "The Triple Option". In regards to Sellers, he thinks he will be fine, but needs to stay in college one more year, while Allar is yet to be challenged this season.
Nussmeier, on the other hand, has delivered. "I'm bullish on Nuss. Because I think mentally he understands the game. You might have to go back to Andrew Luck to see some of the pre-snap stuff and the motions and setting protections and kind of working that angle. I think the suddenness in the pocket, the accuracy, the throwing with anticipation, everything that you look for when evaluating a quarterback, he has. But he's not the level of mobility that we've come ton see with a lot of top guys." he added.
Just because the top of the class hasn't lived up to the hype in the first three plus weeks of college football, there are others that have flashed and caught the veteran talent evaluators attention.
"We've had Carson Beck play really well at Miami. Mendoza hasn't played anyone for Indiana, but so far that looks really, really good in that offensive system. We've seen Sawyer Robertson from Baylor has been firing. He's a really talented player who I think has been under the radar for a while. Aiden Chiles at Michigan State. Nobody really knows about this guy, but super talented, right? And John Mateer. John Mateer's a blast to watch. And it's going to be fun to see kind of what NFL teams are thinking about him."
So, if you're team is going to be at the top of the draft in April (looking at you Browns fans), don't despair. Just because the top names haven't dominated, doesn't mean there isn't talent under center coming your way. And, there is always 2027 with Arch Manning, DJ Lagway, and Julian Sayin.