2026 NFL Draft: Joel Klatt's Top 10 Offensive Prospects
This year's NFL Draft is interesting for a pretty simple reason: We don't have a ton of great quarterback prospects. Will we see more than one quarterback taken in the first round? I'm not so sure, but there's one quarterback prospect I'm higher on than most. There's some great talent at other positions in this draft class, though. There are a few wide receivers in this year's class that really stand out at a deep position. The same can be said about a few offensive linemen, too, although there's one running back who's better than them all. So, that's why I think Fernando Mendoza might not be the clear top offensive player in the 2026 NFL Draft class. But let's take a closer look to see how I view the top offensive talent this year. 10. Ty Simpson, QB, Alabama Maybe this is quarterback bias, but as a former quarterback, I just value the position more. Even when I'm doing a big board-style ranking where I'm picking who is a better player, I cannot get the value of the quarterback out of my head. I am higher on Simpson than most. If you're looking at traditional draft boards, people will knock him for his size (he's not the biggest guy), but I'm not as concerned about that. I love his toughness and his ability to make big-time throws down the field, particularly outside the numbers. He did it all year, and that was not a great Alabama team. He was on his own for a lot of that year, which was his first year as a starter. That was an offensive line that didn't give him a great amount of protection, it wasn't your traditional Alabama team, and he still threw for 3,567 yards, 28 touchdowns and five interceptions. He was really good, and Alabama's best piece. When you think of Alabama's best moments this past season, what do you think of? You think of Simpson and how he played in the first half against Georgia in Athens, or how he played in the second half against Oklahoma in the playoff game. I like the way he plays in those games. He's tough, and when you watch his film, the throws he makes are great leverage throws. He's on time and anticipatory. That plays a big part in succeeding in the NFL. I wish Simpson had more starts. He would be higher on this list and I think NFL teams would be more open to drafting him. 9. Vega Ioane, G, Penn State I saw plenty of this guy during his college career. He's the best interior offensive lineman in the draft. He's very athletic. The coaches raved about his work ethic, leadership and his ability to do different things. He can bend and he's powerful. I loved over the last couple of years when Penn State would stand him up in that Andy Kotelnicki offense and have him motion. That ability to move around is a huge asset, though. He'll play guard and do it well. But if you need a sixth offensive lineman, he can be that guy. That versatility will pay dividends. 8. Jordyn Tyson, WR, Arizona State Tyson's long and rangy at 6-2, so his size is fine. He's at his best when the ball is in the air. You need that late in the season, when you need contested catches against tougher competition. Tyson doesn't need everything to be clean for him in order to make plays. He's tremendous at high-pointing the ball and competitive across the middle of the field. He knows how to use his hands and body, while being able to control his body. There are some injury concerns with Tyson. He tore up his knee when he was at Colorado. He transferred to Arizona State and missed its playoff game in 2025 with a collarbone injury. He had a hamstring issue this past season. But in that excellent performance against Texas Tech, he gutted it out and proved his toughness. He was also coached by Hines Ward at ASU, learning from a great technician at wide receiver. 7. Kenyon Sadiq, TE, Oregon Sadiq's versatility boosts his stock. It's not that he can just catch the ball which he does really well, he's super athletic, tough to cover and can do all those things but it's his ability to do everything as a tight end that makes me like him as a prospect. Sadiq's a great blocker to the point that I think he can make whichever team drafts him more dynamic with their personnel groups. In 12 personnel, Sadiq can attack the seam of the opposing defense because he's more athletic than the opposing linebackers. So, NFL playcallers are going to love Sadiq. He's a matchup nightmare, which is proven by his eight receiving touchdowns this past season. That mark led all FBS tight ends. I remember when I covered one of Oregon's games this past season, head coach Dan Lanning told me that Sadiq was going to be special for a long time. He also called him a very confident player, pointing to his willingness to block before saying anything about his pass-catching ability. 6. Spencer Fano, OT, Utah When I spoke with former Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham ahead of its game against Texas Tech this past season, he said Fano was the best he's had during his time with the program. That's really saying something, because they've produced some high-quality offensive linemen in Utah. Fano started out at left tackle early in his career before moving to right tackle. So, he's got versatility and flexibility, which is valuable to any NFL team. He's also a three-year starter with tremendous athleticism. I like him in the pass set, although Texas Tech edge rusher David Bailey made life difficult for him in that Utah-Texas Tech game. 5. Makai Lemon, WR, USC This dude just gets football. My old offensive coordinator at Colorado, Shawn Watson, used to call some guys a "football-playing Jesse," which meant someone played better than how they looked. That's how I feel when I watch Lemon. He's an excellent football player. He gets space and understands coverage. He's got such an exceptional feel for the game. Lemon's game is similar to Julian Edelman, Wes Welker and Jaxon Smith-Njigba in that you can play him on the inside and outside. I think he's probably better playing on the inside, but his intelligence and feel for the game make him such a great player, no matter where you line him up. I just can't say enough good things about him. Lemon's going to make a quarterback very, very happy. I hope he's able to play with a quarterback who knows how to use him. 4. Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State I gave Tate the bump over Lemon because of his size and ability to make plays down the field. When it comes down to it, you've got to make contested catches and there was nobody better at winning contested grabs than Tate. He tracks the ball exceptionally well. He's faster than people think. He runs great routes. Oh, and Tate played at Ohio State. Look at all the great wide receivers that school has produced. They go to the NFL and succeed, as long as they've got a quarterback and offense that knows how to use them. They're the best-coached position group of any team in the country. Tate got better and better each season as a result. I think Tate should be a top-10 pick in this draft, even if he wasn't the best wide receiver on his own team. 3. Francis Mauigoa, OT, Miami (Fla.) What a playoff run not only for Miami, but also for Mauigoa and the offensive line. He played his way up the board as the season went on. There was a thought, and I heard this during the season, that Mauigoa is great at run blocking, but will need some help in pass protection. I'm sorry, but did we not watch the playoff? He was outstanding in pass protection against some really good defensive ends in the playoff. He gave up nothing against teams that recorded a lot of pressures and sacks during the season. Mauigoa is 6-foot-5, a five-star recruit, a three-year starter and an All-American. I've got no notes. Maybe he can be a little cleaner in his pass set, but he's young and athletic enough to fix it and become one of the NFL's better offensive linemen. 2. Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame There will be some debate about these top two players. I told you about my quarterback bias earlier, though, and it's why Love is here and Mendoza's at No. 1. Still, Love is phenomenal. He's a home-run threat when he touches the ball. He had 11 touchdowns of at least 45 yards over the last two seasons, which was the most in the FBS. You put the ball in this guy's hands, good things happen. Very rarely do bad things happen when Love has the rock. He had zero fumbles in college, which is rare for an explosive running back like Love. It's not just Love's ability to run the ball that's outstanding, but the same can be said about his pass-catching ability, too. He can be an every-down back with his ability to run between the tackles and on the outside to go with his receiving skills. He had 55 catches in the last two years. Love can threaten defenses in multiple ways. He's a lot more like Christian McCaffrey and Jahmyr Gibbs than some of the one-trick running backs out there. When you look at the top running back prospects over the last few years, he's as good or better than all of those players. That includes Bijan Robinson, Ashton Jeanty, Omarion Hampton and more. To me, Love can be a league leader in rushing yards in the NFL. 1. Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana The idea that Mendoza is flat-out the best offensive player has some merit. You can't get the positional value out of your head, and you should never overlook the clutch performances this guy put together this past season at Indiana. Do we appreciate how good Mendoza was in those moments enough? Those were all-time performances. I'll always remember Mendoza's game and Indiana's comeback at Penn State. I've never heard Beaver Stadium louder than when Mendoza was sacked on first down late in that game. Indiana was facing a second-and-15, but it didn't matter because Mendoza led the Hoosiers right down the field in what felt like the most unbeliavable drive I've ever seen. I still think back to the drive and wonder if it happened. Of course, Mendoza also did it against Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship Game. He made some really big throws down the stretch of that game on third- and fourth-down. He did it in the national championship game as well. Why do I say all of that? Mendoza's not going to be taken No. 1 just because he's a quarterback. He's going to get taken by the Las Vegas Raiders with that pick because he's the best player. His game translates to the NFL. He can sit in the pocket, evaluate what he sees and knows where his eyes are supposed to go. He's big. He runs well. He had a 72.5% completion percentage. He had 48 total touchdowns to just six interceptions. He always throws the ball on the correct side of the wide receiver, putting the ball away from the defender. There have been some good quarterbacks drafted over the last few years, including Drake Maye, Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels and more. But if you need one drive to win the game, are you taking Mendoza over all of those guys? You might. Mendoza checks all the boxes, including the one that matters to me the most: experience. The average number of starts in college for Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks in the last two decades is 35. Every Super Bowl-winning quarterback in that span has started at least 24 games in college. Guess how many starts Mendoza had in college? 35. Good luck with the Raiders, Fernando. If they put the pieces around him, Mendoza will succeed.
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