{"id":575973,"date":"2026-04-10T13:37:11","date_gmt":"2026-04-10T13:37:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/575973\/"},"modified":"2026-04-10T13:37:11","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T13:37:11","slug":"reacting-to-the-beast-what-stands-out-in-top-100-rankings-which-qbs-might-be-sleepers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/575973\/","title":{"rendered":"Reacting to \u2018The Beast\u2019: What stands out in top 100 rankings? Which QBs might be sleepers?"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s \u201cThe Beast\u201d<\/a> Week here at The Athletic, and as always,\u00a0draft expert Dane Brugler has given us a lot to digest.<\/p>\n

So, what stands out as we reach the stretch run on the 2026 NFL Draft conversation? Senior NFL Draft writer Nick Baumgardner and NFL Draft editor Chris Burke take a look at some of the most important takeaways from \u201cThe Beast\u201d \u2014 and what they all mean moving forward.<\/p>\n

1. Let\u2019s start with Dane\u2019s top 100<\/a>: What jumped out to you in the updated rankings?<\/p>\n

Nick Baumgardner: The tight end class is impossible to ignore this year. More importantly, the league feels ready to take advantage of some of these guys in more creative ways. Dane has four tight ends in the top 100 (Kenyon Sadiq, Eli Stowers, Max Klare and Oscar Delp) and two more (Justin Joly and Sam Roush) just outside of it. All six of those players could make an impact next year.<\/p>\n

You can keep going, though. It feels like \u201cThe Beast\u201d has draftable grades on more tight ends than in any other year. Even with some of the potential undrafted free agents (Dan Villari, Jeremiah Franklin, Jack Velling), I could make a case they\u2019re draftable, too. It\u2019s an insanely deep tight end class \u2014 one I think we\u2019ll all be writing about and watching for a long time.<\/p>\n

Chris Burke: You have to scroll down the list for \u2026 a while before you get to the No. 2 QB, Ty Simpson (No. 42 overall). The lack of obvious top-end talent in that group has been a \u201926 draft talking point since the start of the college football season, and it\u2019s held up.<\/p>\n

On the other side of the ball, it\u2019s hard to miss the number of potential impact playmakers there are, really at all three levels. Of course, we have potential top-20 picks up top \u2014 Sonny Styles, Caleb Downs, Mansoor Delane, David Bailey, etc. \u2014 but you can roll all the way through the top 100 and find players who should be able to contribute right away. Just in the range between Nos. 75 and 84 on the list, Dane has versatile hybrid Kyle Louis, edge Derrick Moore, linebacker Keyshaun Elliott and safety Bud Clark. Put any of those guys on a depth chart and it gets better.<\/p>\n

2. Dane has 17 quarterbacks with draftable grades (although the grades of QBs 11-17 are of the \u201cseventh round to UDFA\u201d variety). Of the potential sleepers there, which prospects are most intriguing?<\/p>\n

Baumgardner: Hopefully, more NFL GMs take Dane\u2019s advice this year and stop kicking the can on these quarterbacks. This is not an elite quarterback class, but \u2014 as I\u2019ve mentioned a few times this cycle \u2014 it\u2019s indicative of what we\u2019re going to see from here on out, barring some sort of elite outlier year. Name, image and likeness money is pulling guys with borderline first-round grades back to school, which is watering down the top of each class.<\/p>\n

But (as we see this year), it\u2019s not necessarily watering down the overall depth. Teams have to stop kicking the can down the road and start taking chances on some of these guys in later rounds. They won\u2019t all be Brock Purdy, but you might surprise yourself with a Cade Klubnik or Joe Fagnano. Drew Allar is a walking collection of top-end NFL quarterback traits, too \u2014 there is no reason a QB with that type of physical talent should be waiting around late into Day 3.<\/p>\n

My favorite sleeper is Iowa\u2019s Mark Gronowski. He was pretty rough for most of last season, but he also wasn\u2019t healthy. His performance in Iowa\u2019s bowl game and showing at the Shrine Bowl absolutely opened some eyes. I wouldn\u2019t be surprised to see him go somewhere on Day 3.<\/p>\n

Burke: Klubnik is the one I\u2019ll be watching. Dane has a fifth-\/sixth-round grade on him, so he should land right in that sweet spot where he could outperform expectations just by being a competent backup and spot starter. His athleticism\/arm combination always has been exciting, and there are NFL offensive coordinators who could design a game plan around his strengths (and avoid his weaknesses).<\/p>\n

Klubnik tends to skip his reads, bail on the pocket and force things, and it\u2019s tough to teach QBs to slow down once they\u2019re in the NFL. So, we\u2019ll see how much progress he can make. He\u2019s well worth a shot on Day 3, though \u2014 and I probably could make a Day 2 argument.<\/p>\n

3. With less than two weeks until the draft, which prospects feel as if they\u2019re \u201crising\u201d up boards?<\/p>\n

Baumgardner: UCF\u2019s Malachi Lawrence. I had him just outside the first round in our three-round mock<\/a> before \u201cThe Beast\u201d was released and was glad to see Dane slotted him right around that spot (first-\/second-round grade). When you combine his get-off with a nearly 82-inch wingspan, you can see why he is a serious problem for offenses. It\u2019s not just his speed, either. He\u2019s twitchy, his hands are very active, and he feels like the type of guy who just keeps leveling up the more he plays. Most boards had him outside the top 100 before the all-star circuit, but the NFL has been higher on him pretty much the whole way.<\/p>\n

A few other names popping now that more people are getting to their tape: Texas A&M WR KC Concepcion, who is a ridiculous burner (even if he\u2019s small and has drop issues); Michigan edge\/LB Jaishawn Barham, who\u2019s still raw, but long and extremely physical; and Iowa guard\/tackle Gennings Dunker.<\/p>\n

Burke:\u00a0Nick mentioned Concepcion, and this receiver class as a whole seems to be picking up steam, even as injury concerns hover over Arizona State\u2019s Jordyn Tyson (Dane\u2019s WR3). Ohio State\u2019s Carnell Tate and USC\u2019s Makai Lemon might be the only two receivers with legitimate top-10 hope, but Dane has eight receivers in his top 50, and 13 in the top 75.<\/p>\n

How many teams picking in the back half of Round 1 \u2014 especially those that were in the playoffs last season \u2014 could use someone like Concepcion, Omar Cooper Jr., Denzel Boston or Germie Bernard to get a nudge closer to the top? There\u2019s going to be an early run on receivers.<\/p>\n

4. Flip side: Are they any prospects whose range feels tenuous right now \u2014 guys who could be potential \u201cfallers\u201d come draft weekend?<\/p>\n

Baumgardner: I\u2019m a bit surprised Dane dropped Georgia linebacker CJ Allen to No. 46. I still think Allen is a top-35 prospect and a safe bet to start as a rookie somewhere. His pre-draft process wasn\u2019t as eye-popping as some others, such as Jacob Rodriguez. Same time, he\u2019s more of a steady hand than an explosive game wrecker, which could put him into typical linebacker territory on some NFL boards.<\/p>\n

Another guy who drew a lot of attention during the season (and throughout his career as a splash player) was Oklahoma edge R Mason Thomas. When I turn the tape on there, though, I just don\u2019t see an NFL starter. He looks like a package player who can\u2019t play on first or second down until the fourth quarter. He\u2019s 6 feet 2 inches tall and 241 pounds (with 31 5\/8-inch arms), and I\u2019m not sure he can hold another ounce. You\u2019re probably playing him in the 230s by October, if we\u2019re honest.<\/p>\n

I actually thought Dane was generous putting him at 44. He\u2019s a top-100 player, but, for me, in a range much closer to No. 100 than 50.<\/p>\n

Burke: Tennessee cornerback Jermod McCoy is going to be tough to pin down heading into the draft. He is immensely talented and has the skill set to lock up all of those receivers I shouted out last question. But he hasn\u2019t played since 2024. Even after his impressive pro day, will NFL GMs have enough confidence in his health and time frame to spend a top-20 pick on him? We\u2019ve seen injuries drive really good players into Day 2.<\/p>\n

And I wouldn\u2019t necessarily describe this as a \u201cfall,\u201d but there was an earlier window in which Simpson looked as if he might get pushed up the board almost entirely because of positional need. Water found its level on Dane\u2019s board, though \u2014 an early- to mid-Round 2 landing spot definitely feels like a safer bet for the Alabama QB.<\/p>\n

5. Quick one to end on: As you try to figure out Round 1, what will have your attention in the coming days?<\/p>\n

Baumgardner: Who is going to trade up for one of these linebackers, safeties, tackles \u2026 or RB Jeremiyah Love? Quarterbacks usually drive early trades in the draft, but I\u2019m also on board with placing Simpson outside the first round. There are seven tackles, however, with first-round grades. Will there be a tackle-needy contender willing to move into the top 10 for Spencer Fano or Francis Mauigoa?<\/p>\n

I also refuse to live in a world where Caleb Downs isn\u2019t standing out on boards, if he makes it beyond No. 10. The same is true of Love.<\/p>\n

Burke:\u00a0Picking up on that Downs\/Love note, we\u2019ve seen over the past few drafts that teams are very slowly\u00a0breaking away from traditional notions of \u201cpremium\u201d positions and leaning into talent. Downs and Love deserve to be in the top 10 this year, and Sadiq is another break-from-the-norm test \u2014 he should not be falling deep into the teens.<\/p>\n

Is the top of the draft going to be all offensive tackles, cornerbacks and edge rushers (plus Fernando Mendoza)? Or are teams going to take these phenomenal talents at those so-called non-premium positions?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It\u2019s \u201cThe Beast\u201d Week here at The Athletic, and as always,\u00a0draft expert Dane Brugler has given us a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":575974,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[67],"tags":[399,398,396,397,349,99],"class_list":{"0":"post-575973","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-ncaa-football","8":"tag-football","9":"tag-ncaa","10":"tag-ncaa-football","11":"tag-ncaafootball","12":"tag-nfl","13":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/575973","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=575973"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/575973\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/575974"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=575973"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=575973"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=575973"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}