After some early hype, the 2026 NFL Draft quarterback class ended up being an extremely poor one.

We all know that former Indiana signal caller Fernando Mendoza is going to be the No. 1 overall selection for the Las Vegas Raiders. After Mendoza, nobody knows exactly when Ty Simpson (Alabama) is going to come off the board. From there, you are hoping that guys like Cole Payton (North Dakota State), Garrett Nussmeier (LSU), and Taylen Green (Arkansas) develop into something more than we see right now.

With this weaker quarterback class, there are already some NFL teams that have their eyes set on the 2027 NFL Draft group of signal callers. When you look ahead, Texas star Arch Manning is going to be the player that everyone obsesses over, especially after his strong ending to the 2025 season, after some early struggles. The “March for Arch” is going to be the talk in the NFL Draft space for some time.

There are a lot of quarterback-needy teams heading into the rest of the offseason. There will be some teams that jump into the quarterback market out of nowhere. It wouldn’t be shocking to see the Tampa Bay Buccaneers be one of them with the Baker Mayfield contract situation looming, as well as the New Orleans Saints if they bottom out and Tyler Shough regresses.

Here are the four top contenders to know early on for Manning. Let the March for Arch begin.

Arizona Cardinals 

A smaller market team with not much buzz, the Cardinals project to be a really bad team heading into the 2026 NFL season. With no answer at quarterback, an offensive line with holes, and a defense with deficiencies everywhere, there isn’t much optimism for the early portion of the Mike LaFleur era in the desert. The 2026 season is going to be a rough one, but the hope is to slowly build up the talent pool to create an exciting future.

The Cardinals currently have a quarterback depth chart that includes Jacoby Brissett, Gardner Minshew II, and Kedon Slovis. There is no clear answer for the future in that room right now. Barring something unforeseen, the Cardinals will be heavily in the quarterback market next offseason.

New York Jets 

The Jets thought they had a shot to get their quarterback in the 2026 NFL Draft class, and then Dante Moore (Oregon) decided to go back to school. LaNorris Sellers (South Carolina) played poorly and returned to school, as well, as did a couple of others. Ty Simpson (Alabama) trended downward down the stretch of the season, while Garrett Nussmeier (LSU) got hurt and underwhelmed. This slowly trickled to becoming a poor quarterback class with only one projected to go inside the top-ten selections.

With Geno Smith being the rental for the year, it’s going to be fascinating to see if the Jets outplay their opportunity to get in on the Arch sweepstakes. It would be the most Jets move of all time to be just “good enough” to miss out on a potential franchise quarterback. Head coach Aaron Glenn needs to win to save his job, but it could cost the Jets their best long-term future.

Cleveland Browns 

Cleveland did a solid job of rebuilding their offensive line via free agency, but there is no real left tackle option on the roster. The wide receiver group is also terrible, and there is no clear answer at quarterback on the roster despite having a pretty hilarious depth chart right now. You have to think that the odds are strong that the Browns will be in contention for the top overall selection until the very end.

There is a known relationship between the Manning family and Browns owner Jimmy Haslam. Getting Manning in a Cleveland Browns uniform would be a very easy sell for the fanbase.

Miami Dolphins 

The Dolphins have a very strong argument for having the worst roster in the NFL heading into the 2026 NFL Draft. They did sign former Tennessee Titans and Green Bay Packers quarterback Malik Willis this offseason, which is going to be interesting to monitor. If Willis shows that he can be a franchise quarterback, then Miami may have found its guy on a team-friendly contract.

If the Dolphins are as bad as some people think, however, then there is a good chance that Willis wasn’t the answer. You aren’t going to prolong the Willis process if you have a chance to get your quarterback at the top of the 2027 NFL Draft. The early odds are probably in Miami’s favor to get a shot at Manning.

NFL Draft

Player comparisons for Fernando Mendoza, Arvell Reese, Carnell Tate, Caleb Banks, and other top 2026 NFL Draft prospects

Some of the top player comparisons for several 2026 NFL Draft headliners.

Ryan Roberts