Consensus board vs. draft day — the full QB class, charted.
The Steal
Garrett Nussmeier was ranked QB3 on the consensus board — #75 overall — but lasted until pick 249, where the Kansas City Chiefs took him in Round 7. A 174-spot fall, the largest gap between expectation and draft day of any QB in the class. Behind him, Cole Payton (+50) and Taylen Green (+48) also outlasted their rankings.
The Conviction Pick
The New York Jets took Cade Klubnik at pick 110 — 70 spots ahead of his #180 consensus rank. The league's biggest vote of confidence against the public board at the position. Teams showed similar conviction on Drew Allar (64 spots) and Carson Beck (61 spots).
The Cliff
After Cade Klubnik went at pick 110, the next QB didn't come off the board for 68 picks. The sharpest drop in the class — teams that waited paid for it.
The Spend
Teams spent 10 picks on QB — 2 in the first two rounds. That's below the position's average of 11.9 since 2018.
The Bet
The Las Vegas Raiders spent more draft capital on QB than any other club — pick 1 — 30% of their total draft investment.
The One Who Slipped
Jalon Daniels, ranked #281 on the consensus board, heard 257 names called — and not his.
| Pick | Player | Pos Rank | Consensus | Δ | School | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fernando Mendoza | QB1 | #2 | −1 | Indiana | Las Vegas |
| 13 | Ty Simpson | QB2 | #35 | −22 | Alabama | LA Rams |
| 65 | Carson Beck | QB4 | #126 | −61 | Miami | Arizona |
| 76 | Drew Allar | QB7 | #140 | −64 | Penn State | Pittsburgh |
| 110 | Cade Klubnik | QB8 | #180 | −70 | Clemson | New York Jets |
| 178 | Cole Payton | QB5 | #128 | +50 | North Dakota State | Philadelphia |
| 182 | Taylen Green | QB6 | #134 | +48 | Arkansas | Cleveland |
| 223 | Athan Kaliakmanis | QB17 | #381 | −158 | Rutgers | Washington |
| 234 | Behren Morton | QB15 | #350 | −116 | Texas Tech | New England |
| 249 | Garrett Nussmeier | QB3 | #75 | +174 | LSU | Kansas City |
| Undrafted (UDFA) | ||||||
| — | Jalon Daniels | QB9 | #281 | — | Kansas | — |
| — | Sawyer Robertson | QB10 | #288 | — | Baylor | — |
| — | Luke Altmyer | QB11 | #302 | — | Illinois | — |
| — | Joey Aguilar | QB12 | #307 | — | Tennessee | — |
| — | Haynes King | QB13 | #310 | — | Georgia Tech | — |
| — | Diego Pavia | QB14 | #329 | — | Vanderbilt | — |
| — | Joe Fagnano | QB16 | #360 | — | UConn | — |