Turf Show Times
If there is a silver lining to the Los Angeles Rams losing on Sunday, it’s that the Atlanta Falcons also lost. That makes one of the Rams’ first round picks that much better with the Falcons sitting at 1-2 through three weeks.
Every week throughout the college football season, I will be watching some of the top quarterback prospects for 2026 and rating their performances. Now that we are four weeks into the college football season, I thought it would be a good time to do a power rankings of how I see the college quarterbacks at this point. If the first four weeks have shown anything, it is that while this class may not be as good at the top as it was hyped up to be, there is some value in some of the quarterbacks whose stock will continue to rise.
Through four weeks, Nussmeier is my top quarterback in this draft class. He simply has the poise and confidence that others on this list have lacked at times. The LSU quarterback has been the most consistent player at the position and it’s easy to see him processing defenses live. That’s something that you don’t see a lot from other college quarterbacks. Said one NFL Scout on Nussmeier,
“Instinctive and finds a way…He’s got a great feel for the position and a good arm.”
Nussmeier may not be the most exciting quarterback prospect given that he’s more of a pocket passer. However, he does show some ability to improvise and make plays outside the pocket. Four of LSU’s next five opponents are ranked teams in the SEC. The other is South Carolina with LaNorris Sellers. Nussemeier has risen to the occasion every step of the way so far.
John Mateer might be that quarterback this season that shoots up draft boards because of a great final season in college. From the end of the third quarter into the fourth quarter, Mateer completed 11 straight passes against Auburn. One of those was a fantastic throw along the right sideline that dropped right into his wide receiver’s hands. On the next play, Mateer called his own number and ran for the go-ahead touchdown.
In a recent poll done by ESPN, Mateer got three votes from NFL Scouts on who they thought would be the top projected quarterback in the upcoming draft. If Mateer plays well through the rest of the SEC schedule, it’s hard not to see him rising further. This is a quarterback that screams McVay. He has the intangibles and is able to make plays with his legs while not relying on them. Mateer is also very comfortable from the pocket and at 21 would be a great option to sit behind Matthew Stafford.
Carson Beck has been an interesting evaluation through four weeks. He has one of the best pass-blocking offensive lines in college football and a very good group of...
