The 2024 NFL Draft saw its first 14 picks go to offensive players. Two years earlier, the top five selections were all edge rushers and cornerbacks.
Draft classes have their own personalities. Each season brings risers and fallers, strengths and weaknesses.
But quarterback classes don’t follow the same logic as other positions. Nobody cares how deep the quarterback class is because Day 3 quarterbacks rarely see meaningful playing time.
Quarterback classes are judged on stars and starters. First-overall picks and Day 1 selections matter most.
After Trinidad Chambliss announced he’s staying at Mississippi, the 2026 NFL Draft quarterback class got even weaker.
Chambliss Returns to Mississippi
The Mississippi Rebels quarterback emerged as one of the draft’s biggest risers this season. He played well under Lane Kiffin’s system and showed promise during the College Football Playoff.
But 2025 marked Chambliss’s first year in Division I football.
That’s a red flag for NFL evaluators. Some scouts question whether his Division II experience translates to professional football. At under 6’0″, Chambliss already had plenty to prove heading into the NFL Combine.
He wasn’t guaranteed a first-round selection or immediate playing time. He could’ve easily landed in a bad situation or been drafted by a team that fires its coach within a year.
There’s scenarios where Chambliss becomes a developmental project without the right support system.
His decision to return to Mississippi makes sense. The NIL money is significant – he’ll earn millions next season. He gets another shot at competing for a championship and Heisman Trophy with one of the SEC’s top teams.
If things go well, the NFL will still be there. That’s the risk though. Things can go wrong, and Day 2 quarterback prospects aren’t guaranteed anything.
Play well next season, and Chambliss could be among the first players taken in the 2027 NFL Draft. That means millions more on his rookie contract and all the opportunities that come with being a top pick.
Chambliss is making the right call for himself. For quarterback-needy teams in 2026, it’s another piece of bad news.
Weak Quarterback Class Gets Weaker
Fernando Mendoza has been projected as the first quarterback selected in the 2026 NFL Draft for months.
Teams like the New York Jets, Arizona Cardinals, and Cleveland Browns need answers at quarterback. It’s clear now that solution won’t come with a top-six pick.
Alabama’s Ty Simpson is both polarizing and inexperienced among scouts. Garrett Nussmeier’s 2025 season was cut short by injury. Nobody else is particularly close to top-50 draft capital.
It’s tough to call any quarterback class good when the No. 2 pick can’t reasonably take a passer.
This class ranks above 2022, the year teams debated between Kenny Pickett, Desmond Ridder, and Malik Willis. But there might not be a quarterback class in the last decade with less overall talent.
That’s not Chambliss’s problem to solve. For teams needing a franchise quarterback though, the answer clearly isn’t coming on draft night in April.
The 2026 class continues to thin out at the most important position in football.
