How many QBs have been drafted in 2026? Live tracker for every quarterback pick in NFL Draft originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Quarterbacks are hardly conspicuous during the NFL Draft. It's a position of firebirds, leaving their marks on the gridiron one way or another.
Great quarterbacks can bring sides to heights never before seen. Poor ones can leave even the most well-rounded franchises in flux, fixed to the cellar of the NFL standings.
It's no surprise that it's the hurlers who capture most of the headlines, column space and airtime around draft season. That was somewhat the case ahead of the 2026 Draft, with Fernando Mendoza and Ty Simpson drawing intrigue.
Beyond them, though, the class has looked a far weaker proposition than front offices would have hoped. In fact, it seems possible -- even likely -- that the 2026 class will feature fewer quarterbacks than most.
The Sporting News is tracking every quarterback selection in the 2024 NFL Draft. Follow along with the picks below.
2026 NFL DRAFT HQ:Live tracker | Pick-by-pick grades | Best players still available
At present, two quarterbacks have been taken in the 2026 NFL Draft. Mendoza was the favorite to hear his name called first in the proceedings, having established himself as a cut above his passing counterparts during his Heisman- and national championship-winning campaign at Indiana.
Alabama QB Ty Simpson was widely considered to be the No. 2 QB in this year's class. The Rams reached high to corral him, selecting him with the No. 13 pick — much higher than most draft experts expected.
There's a clear gulf between Mendoza and Simpson. The gulf between Simpson and the rest of the pack might be even larger. Other hurlers that could see their numbers called before the draft turns to memory include Miami's Carson Beck, LSU's Garrett Nussmeier, Penn State's Drew Allar and North Dakota State's Cole Payton. Vanderbilt's Diego Pavia could also garner some late-round interest, although it's no certainty that he will be selected.
QB rankings are based on Vinnie Iyer's pre-draft analysis.
The record for fewest quarterbacks taken in a single NFL Draft is six. That record was set in 1955, with George Shaw (Colts), Ralph Guglielmi (Washington), Johnny Unitas (Steelers), Johnny Borton (Browns), Charley Brackins (Packers) and Pete Vann (49ers) were the lone hurlers to hear their names called.
Unitas was by far the best of the bunch. After being cut by Pittsburgh before playing a game, Unitas was signed by Baltimore to be Shaw's understudy. Early in the 1956 season, Shaw as cut down by a broken leg. Unitas took the reins of the Colts' offense and refused to let go, capturing three MVPs while leading Baltimore to four NFL championships (including a Super Bowl 5 triumph).
The 2015 NFL Draft saw just seven passers be selected. Two of the quarterbacks selected in that spectacle -- No. 1 pick Jameis Winston and No. 2 Marcus Mariota -- remain in the league as of the end of the 2025 season.
Widely viewed as a historically weak class outside of No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza, the 2026 NFL Draft could compete for ignominious title of the most QB-starved class in recent memory.
Below is the number of quarterbacks selected in each of the last 10 NFL Drafts.
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