Who is the top quarterback, edge rusher and corner in the 2026 NFL draft class? We debated every position's early lead.
Mel Kiper Jr. breaks down his top prospects to watch for the 2026 NFL draft, including Penn State quarterback Drew Allar, Matt Miller is an NFL draft analyst for ESPN, providing in-depth scouting on the nation's top pro prospects.
A Missouri native, Matt joined ESPN in 2021 and also contributes to SportsCenter, NFL Live and ESPN Radio. Prior to joining ESPN, Matt spent 11 years as a senior draft analyst at Bleacher Report.next April, but teams are already setting up their boards. That's where this exercise comes in, as I'm dissecting the early buzz and taking a look at the best players by position.in this class, I talked to scouts and personnel executives around the NFL to form this list. In those discussions, I attempt to answer a few questions: Who's on top of another deep edge rusher class? Which talented offensive tackle gets the nod right now? And we'll address the. The Texas third-year sophomore is one of the hottest names in college football; he might be the face of the sport despite having only two starts under his belt. Manning is an electric talent and a promising pro prospect, but he has not proved himself NFL-ready just yet. Scouts agree, with every evaluator polled for this piece believing Manning will not leave Texas following the 2025 season -- no matter the team's level of success. Now to the other quarterbacks. For the second year in a row, there is no clear-cut QB1 entering the season. This class doesn't feature a prospect drawing the praise thatKlubnik finished his junior season on a tear. The 6-foot-2, 210-pound passer is smart and can carve up defenses when he gets into a rhythm -- much as he didin the College Football Playoff, throwing for 336 yards and three touchdowns in a loss. Klubnik finished the season with 36 touchdown passes and six interceptions, a massive improvement from his 19-9 ratio in 2023.Kirk Herbstreit joins"The Pat McAfee Show" to break down why South Carolina's LaNorris Sellers and Florida's DJ Lagway are two quarterbacks to keep an eye on during the college football season. Nussmeier, whose father is Saints offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier, showed in his first season as a starter that he has the arm talent and moxie to make big plays down the field. With four years of experience, the 6-2 and 200-pound QB is a player scouts believe can break out as he gets more starting reps. "Nussmeier is the one that I'm most excited about because he's so accurate and quick with his decision-making," an AFC East area scout said. "Klubnik needs to prove he can elevate that offense consistently and not just be a point guard," an AFC South area scout said."Nussmeier has the bigger arm, he's more dynamic as a mover and his upside is higher." A scout from the NFC West added:"Klubnik may have the cleaner résumé, but Nussmeier has the NFL starter skill set." It is a wide-open race. For now, I'm rolling with Klubnik as the best of the bunch, but I'm excited to see Mendoza in a new offense and Sellers in Year 2. The running back class in 2026 is a fun one, headlined by a Notre Dame rusher coming off a 17-touchdown season -- but he could face stiff competition for RB1.in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals showed the vision, power and burst he typically employs. Now healthy, Love has the total package to be an elite NFL prospect at 6 feet, 206 pounds. "Love is far and away the best back in the class," an NFL general manager said."Probably in college, period. At least on offense, he holds the largest gap between prospect No. 1 and prospect No. 2 at any position." The RB2 is debatable, thanks to a plethora of talented backs, with many of them forming strong duos. Texas features Singleton appears poised to break through thanks to his all-around game. At 6 feet and 227 pounds, the senior has power for days and the downhill speed to run away from defenders. He also has three-down versatility, with 41 receptions for five scores last season. "Love is the guy, but Singleton might be a sneaky RB1 for teams that want some power and pop but value the passing game," said a former NFL GM who still consults for clubs."Chicago or New England, for example, are ideal fits for him." If you believe we've been in a golden era of wide receiver prospects, I won't argue. But after seeing another pass catcher drafted in the top 10 last year and strongest of the group, and the player scouts are the highest on if he can reach his upside. He has the ability to maul defenders in a way that no other tackle in the class can. Proctor's evolution as a tackle prospect over the second half of the 2024 season has scouts thinking he turned a corner., two teams with great defensive lines, he looked like a top-five pick," one AFC South area scout said. An NFC East scout added:"It's so rare to see someone that big move so well. There's not a great player comp for him because of that."Armand Membou in terms of agility and movement skills. A two-year starter at right tackle, Mauigoa allowed no sacks and was flagged only three times last season while protecting 2025 No. 1 pick Cameron Ward. Perhaps most impressive was Mauigoa's blown run block rate of 0.06% -- just two blown blocks in 13 games. These three represent the top of the class, but there are others scouts are excited to see. Evaluators also mentioned as potential No. 1 tackles. Proctor might lead the group right now, but this is a diverse tackle class with many potential risers. A battle for the class' top interior offensive line spot will be a fun one between two very talented players. Missouri developed Membou into a top-10 player in the 2025 draft, and sources within the coaching staff are equally high on Green entering 2025. The 6-5, 320-pound lineman enters the season as a two-year starter at left guard, and there has been some internal conversation about making him a left tackle because of his agility and tools. Green didn't surrender a sack last season. Slaughter has a chance to be the best run and pass blocker among interior linemen in the class thanks to his instincts, poise, power and agility. At 6-4 and 308 pounds, he doesn't have elite anchor ability but moves exceptionally well and has range to pull, trap and get to the second level. "What I love about both guys is they'll face an absolute wreck of a schedule for most offensive linemen," an AFC scouting director said."They'll be battle-tested by the end of November, and we'll get some clean looks at their pro ability." Slaughter and Green are both talented, but Green's versatility and résumé as a pass protector gives him the nod. The 2026 defensive tackle class doesn't have great top-end depth or many notable playmakers. It's basically Woods against the field, and he is primed to go wire to wire as the top prospect. "This is a pretty weak class," an NFC South area scout said."There are a few guys outside of Woods, but they're nose tackle or 1-tech types. If you needed a 3-tech, I hope you got him last year." Woods, a 6-3, 315-pound junior, notched three sacks and 17 pressures last season, proving himself as a top-notch run defender. He did that while splitting time between the edge and interior, a role that often limited his pass-rush advantages because he was expected to play in space. If unleashed on the interior, Woods has top-10 ability. Challenging him will be Banks and a cast of characters waiting to break out. The 6-6, 329-pound Banks can play anywhere from a 5-technique to a nose alignment. He performed well last season, with 4.5 sacks and 20 pressures., where you see the talent coming and then boom -- he puts it all together and is unstoppable," an NFL defensive line coach said.The tightest battle of any position outside of quarterback comes at edge rusher, where the talent in the 2026 class represents an exciting mixture of top-of-the-round talents and very good depth. Parker put together a 12-sack season in 2024 while emerging as a well-rounded run defender. His quickness off the ball stands out, but scouts praised his ball-rush ability. "Parker has the best tools of any of them," an AFC East area scout said."He sets up blockers well and finishes with a mean streak. And you need power to play in the pros." Like Parker, Faulk brings a combination of speed and power at 6-6 and 288 pounds. With seven sacks last season, he proved his skill set of length, power and quickness can produce in the SEC. Now, a big season is expected.comparisons, but I think he's athletic enough to stay in space in the pros," an AFC North area scout said."But you love that he can kick inside, too." and others are vying for the top spot in a group that could easily produce six first-rounders. Right now, Parker is the best of the bunch. A debate has emerged about Hill's best position. At Texas, he plays primarily as an off-ball linebacker, but the 6-3, 235-pound defender produced eight sacks last season with some elite blitzing skills. On 80 snaps as an edge rusher, he produced 11 pressures, and he has the body type to add the necessary weight to play in space on the end of the line."Hill is definitely getting drafted as an edge," a longtime NFL scout said."He's a great linebacker, but he's too valuable coming off the corner and getting the quarterback. I just hope Texas lets him do more of it this year." Allen will draw the most attention from teams looking for a traditional three-down linebacker. He emerged as a leader on the Bulldogs' defense last season while racking up 71 tackles, 11 pressures, 1 interception and 7 pass breakups. "Allen is a wrecking ball," an NFC South area scout said."That dude does it all, and he's so fast at reading and reacting." We're once again comparing two players who are listed at the same position but play it very differently. I'll go with Hill, who has a chance to be a top-five pick come April. The top cornerback in the country might not see the field early in the season, as McCoy tore an ACL during offseason workouts in January. The 6-foot, 193-pound defender had four interceptions last season and showed the closing speed and reaction agility to erase wide receivers while being able to play the ball in the air. He has shutdown cornerback potential if he returns from injury in the same form as when we last saw him., has a complete game at 5-11 and 180 pounds that features quickness, stout ability in the run game and elite timing. He has a knack for knocking away passes at the catch point. "McCoy is the best in the country, but he's a question mark for us right now," an NFC scouting director said."If he's out, Terrell is the cleanest in terms of technique, even if he's undersized."No disrespect meant to Thieneman or the many other talented safeties in college football. But this one isn't close. Downs enters the season as my top overall prospect and a rare talent at safety. One GM told me Downs could be a first-round pick at running back if he wanted to go theroute and play both sides of the ball. At 6-foot, 205 pounds, Downs has size, strength, speed and versatility to play in the box or as a single-high defender., he was handpicked by coach Dan Lanning to lead the back end of Oregon's defense. Thieneman is a playmaker with alignment versatility. He is a potential first-round pick with elite ball skills and the closing speed to thrive as a free safety in Lanning's defense. and other very talented safeties would be candidates for the top spot in most years, but Downs is a rare prospect holding it down as the top safety and No. 1 overall player in the class.
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