You're going to hear us talk about quarterbacks a lot on "NFL Live" over the course of the 2026 season. There will be debates about all of them, from the best in the game to the borderline starters. But for a third straight year, I'm narrowing the focus here in the preseason. Who are the best signal-callers in the NFL at individual skills?
Does anyone boast a better arm than Josh Allen? Does Joe Burrow or Matthew Stafford have the more refined mechanics? Is Lamar Jackson still the gold standard in QB rushing?
I ranked the top 10 quarterbacks by seven different traits: arm strength, ball placement, mechanics, decision-making, pocket presence, second-reaction creativity and rushing ability. These lists are based on current performance and expectations for the 2026 season. It is how I would rank the QB group at this exact moment. I included only starters and leaned on what I see on tape to form the rankings.
Jump to a section: Arm strength | Ball placement | Mechanics Decision-making | Pocket presence Second reaction | Rushing ability
Arm strength
1. Josh Allen, Bills 2. Justin Herbert, Chargers 3. Caleb Williams, Bears 4. Matthew Stafford, Rams 5. Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs 6. Baker Mayfield, Buccaneers 7. Drake Maye, Patriots 8. Joe Burrow, Bengals 9. Lamar Jackson, Ravens 10. Dak Prescott, Cowboys
There are different kinds of arm strength. Everyone immediately looks at deep balls -- the 60-yard Hail Marys down the sideline. It's all about who can throw the rock the furthest, right? You need a live arm to connect on those shot plays, no doubt. But I focus more on passes into tight windows in the intermediate areas of the field and the pure power throws from what I call "funny body" positions. Quarterbacks don't have the strong base to fall back on here; there is no loading up and driving through the pass. Instead, they need to rely almost entirely on their arm to get the ball where it needs to go with velocity.
Allen is still No. 1 in this department. His ability to get zip on his throws from uncomfortable positions really stands out. He just flicks his wrist, and the ball is suddenly in his receiver's hands on a rope. Not every QB1 can do that, and yet he does it with consistency.