A pair of college quarterbacks have emerged as favorites to go first overall in the 2026 NFL Draft following the culmination of this year’s event.
Cam Ward, selected No. 1 overall out of Miami by the Tennessee Titans, will look to make his mark in 2025 as he’s now one of seven QBs to go first in the last eight drafts. This is expected to be the case next year.
Ward was the first player off the board and was only one of two signal-callers to get picked in the first round, with Jackson Dart being taken by the New York Giants at No. 25 overall.
The incoming class wasn’t considered all that heavy this year, but 2026 looks much healthier, and there will be more QBs thought to have a shot at going No. 1.
Arch Manning Leads The Race For That No. 1 Spot In The Next NFL Draft
Bovada has Texas’s Arch Manning at +200 in that regard, while Penn State’s Drew Allar is +225. LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier is the closest to the aforementioned duo at +450.
No other quarterback comes close. Clemson’s Cade Klubnik is fourth on that list, but his odds are much wider, at +1800.
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Who’s going to go 1st overall in next year’s #NFLDraft?
— Bovada (@BovadaOfficial) April 27, 2025
Arch Manning +200
Drew Allar +225
Garrett Nussmeier +450
Cade Klubnik +1800
Caleb Downs +2500
Carson Beck +3000 pic.twitter.com/cMt7ZWUOh9
Manning probably isn’t at the top on merit, though he showed flashes of brilliance filling in for Quinn Ewers last season. But he’s now the most popular quarterback in college, given his family’s rich football history.
Allar, on the other hand, just led Penn State to the CFP semis and seems the more NFL-ready of the two.
