NFL Draft Mailbag: the QB landscape, Rueben Bain, and more

By Jack Brentnall

We are somehow already a month into the college football season, and with that a month closer to the NFL Draft!

I thought this would be the perfect time for an early season mailbag, looking at the 2026 class, where it stands, and how players have fared vs expectation.

A big thank you to everyone who submitted a question – I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

How do you have Dante Moore and Drew Allar stacked in your QB rankings and how do you expect their stocks to be affected when they play each other on Saturday? - @Anthony_Russo97

 I haven’t done a proper update of my quarterback rankings yet this season, but if I was to do one I am pretty confident that Moore would be higher than Allar.

I didn’t watch Moore over the summer given his limited reps in 2024, but through four weeks I am pretty excited about his potential. His accuracy and decision making have been outstanding so far and he’s showing some real promise as a processor.

When it comes to Allar, I’ll admit I am a little underwhelmed. I’ve never been his biggest fan (he was my QB5 in summer scouting) but I thought that he had the potential to take a real leap in his second season with Andy Kotelnicki. That just hasn’t happened so far.

Neither player has really been tested yet (Oregon ranks 119th in strength of schedule, while Penn State is dead last at 136th) but the fact that Moore has looked excellent against an easy schedule while Allar has looked distinctly average is notable.

As for Saturday, I am always reticent of making predictions, but Oregon looks like a much superior team through four weeks and I think Moore has the best shot of coming away from this with a boost to his stock.

Which three underclassmen do you think are the most likely to declare this upcoming cycle? Of those same three, which would you tell to declare and which would you tell to return? - @SparkScouting

As things stand, the three I’d pick are Caleb Downs, Reuben Bain, and Peter Woods. Each looks like the top player at their respective position and they have all been talked up as potential top five picks.

The one that I’d definitely be telling to declare is Bain. If this quarterback class continues to underwhelm, I think that the value of his position paired with his elite tape will have him in the conversation for the No. 1 overall pick.

If one of them should return, I am feeling more and more like it should be Woods.I wrote in my Week 4 scouting notebook about my concerns with Woods’ performance this season, particularly as a pass rusher. While he has by no means been a disaster, he’s had nowhere near the impact for a player that was being talked up as a blue chip prospect in the offseason.

How many defensive linemen are in your top 100? - @nfldraftfanatc

As things stand I have 16 defensive linemen in my top 100. I expect that number to shift over the coming weeks as I continue to work my way through the class though. There are still a handful of breakout players I haven’t done full scouting reports of yet (Akheem Mesidor and Romello Height are the two biggest names) and it feels like my board will look pretty different by the time I do my next big update in November.

What is the strength of the 2026 RB class looking like? Aside from Jeremiyah Love, are there any other first round talents? - @SirRonaldM

I’ll be honest, I don’t think this is a great running back class. Jeremiyah Love was comfortably my top back over summer and I’ve not seen anything from any of the other prospects to change that view.

Makhi Hughes entered the season as my RB2 but he’s underwhelmed so far at Oregon. Wake Forest’s Demond Claiborne was my RB3 and while he’s shown some encouraging flashes, the consistency hasn’t quite been there.

I think Love is the only guy I’d consider in the first round right now, even if he hasn’t quite lived up to expectations himself. As things stand, I’m not sure there is anyone else I’d be rushing to take in the top 50. If you’re looking for some guys that can be part of a committee I think there are some interesting names further down the board (Arizona State’s Raleek Brown has really caught my eye), but this feels like a down year for the position.

Who is the best Group of Five prospect you’ve scouted so far? - @NFLDraftSi

Right now, that honour goes to Toledo safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren. Toledo seems to continually churn out NFL Draft prospects in their secondary and while I don’t think McNeil-Warren is in the same conversation as former teammate Quinyon Mitchell, he’s a very interesting player.

The top line on his scouting report will be his ball skills. This is a player who already has a pick six and two forced fumbles in three games this season. Throughout his career he has four interceptions, six pass breakups, and 11 forced fumbles.

At 6’3” and 209 lbs he’s got good size to translate to the NFL and he’s willing and able as a run defender. I don’t think he’s going to wow anyone with his athletic traits, but if you want a playmaker in your secondary he’s your man.

What should the Titans do to help Cam Ward if they end up with another first overall pick? - @Grrrroooooovvvy

The good news for Titans fans is that regardless of how much they suck this season, they seem to have landed a future franchise quarterback in Cam Ward. The box score might look ugly, but the flashes on tape are tantalising.

With that in mind, the answer to this question is simple – trade back, accumulate assets, and build around Ward. This team has a few nice young pieces on offense and a star in Jeffery Simmons on defense, but there are far too many obvious weaknesses on the roster.

The more picks you can accumulate, the more opportunities you get to land franchise cornerstones that can support your quarterback during his rookie contract.

Are any draft-eligible QBs ready to start in the NFL in 2026? - @tweetsfromben

This is a great question, and one that I think could yield a very different answer if I was to answer it again in a month’s time. Right now, my answer would be a tentative and non-committal “I think so”.

The reason for that fence-sitting is simple. The guys who I had high hopes for in 2025 have, by and large, underwhelmed. As for the players who have impressed, they haven’t had much of an opportunity to test themselves against top competition.

If there is one guy that I’m ready to bet on right now it is Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza. Perhaps I’m simply drinking the Kool-Aid after the Hoosiers’ rampant win over Illinois in Week 4, but he feels like a very easy player to project to the pro level.

Mendoza offers the blend of accuracy and processing ability that makes you very confident in his floor as a quarterback. I’m not sure that he offers the ceiling to be a top 5-10 quarterback in the NFL though.

How good is the 2026 NFL Draft for receivers? Is it better waiting for 2027? - @andy_normile

A lot can change over the rest of the college football season, but right now it feels like the 2026 class looks quite a lot like the 2025 class, at least in terms of talent level. You have an obvious stud at the top in Arizona State’s Jordyn Tyson. After that you have several interesting weapons (Denzel Boston, Chris Bell, Makai Lemon, etc) who offer intriguing upside but aren’t quite players I’d feel comfortable taking inside the top 15 right now.

As for the second part of the question, yes, 2027 looks exceptional. I think that class has the potential to be the best we’ve seen in years. Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith and Auburn’s Cam Coleman would be the WR1 and WR2 in the 2026 class if they were draft eligible, and they are both true sophomores. Alabama’s Ryan Williams is also a very exciting prospect with first round talent.

What positional group will dominate the draft next year? - @Grrrroooooovvvy

Despite my own reservations about the quality of this quarterback class, I still think positional value and scarcity ends up giving it a boost. You’re likely to have four or five teams picking in the top 10 that all need an upgrade at quarterback. Crucially, this also feels like a draft class that is short on blue chip talent at other positions.

If I were picking out the position group that I think has the potential to produce a chunk of NFL talent I would probably go with linebacker though. I am a big fan of the Ohio State duo of Sonny Styles and Arvell Reese, and I think there is a lot to like about Georgia’s CJ Allen and LSU’s Whit Weeks.

Which non-QB has seen their stock fall the most since preseason? - @tweetsfromben

For me, the answer to this one is Alabama offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor. I just can’t get that Week 1 performance against Florida State out of my head. While he has looked a little better in his two more recent outings, that game really hammered home the concerns that many scouts have with Proctor and it makes me nervous about his potential at the NFL level.

His limited foot speed was tested consistently and he lacked the recovery speed and agility to operate on an island in pass protection. That kind of issue will only be more pronounced at the pro level. Given that he is 6’7” I don’t feel great about kicking him inside, which leaves me at a bit of a loss.

Who is your pro comp for Reuben Bain? - @hodgkinsonsport

Bain is a tough player to find a perfect comp for, but I’d be lying if I didn’t say I saw some shades of Za’Darius Smith to his game. Both are big-bodied edge rushers who have the size to kick inside and work from reduced alignments. They are also players who pride themselves on winning through the chest of opposing tackles, despite lacking ideal arm length.

Given Sunday’s result it wouldn’t be unfair to think Cincy could get a top five pick. Who would be the best and most suitable offensive lineman or defensive player? - @NewsatTwm

If I were drafting for the Bengals in that situation, I have a pretty clear idea of who I’d take on both sides of the ball. Utah offensive tackle Spencer Fano is the name that would really get me excited. His blend of athleticism and road-grading ability in the run game makes him comfortably my top offensive tackle in this class.

If he’s gone or the Bengals decide they want to invest in their defense instead, I think it is impossible to look past Miami edge rusher Reuben Bain. If Bain continues his current run of form he might not make it past the No. 1 overall pick, but if he is there he would be the perfect successor to Trey Hendrickson.

JACK BRENTNALL

HEAD OF NFL DRAFT CONTENT

Previously the founder of The Jet Sweep, Jack joined The Touchdown as head of Draft Content in 2024. A Scouting Academy alumnus, Jack has been Covering the NFL Draft since 2020. Follow him on Twitter @Jack_Brentnall.

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