By the DraftClassInsider staff · Published October 12, 2026 · Through Week 5 of the 2026 season
- Drafted rookie QBs: 10, two of them in the first round. Starts by drafted rookies through Week 5: zero.
- Rookie QB starts: two, both by undrafted Jalon Daniels of the Buccaneers: a 17-14 loss to Green Bay and a 24-16 win at Dallas.
- Drafted rookies who have thrown a regular-season pass: two. Fernando Mendoza threw 8 passes in mop-up time and Athan Kaliakmanis threw 33 in relief in London.
- Week 1: no rookie started on opening weekend. The AP says that has happened only twice in 19 seasons.
- History: 20 of the 30 quarterbacks taken first overall since 1967 started their rookie opener. Mendoza did not.
The Undrafted Rookie Who Got There First
On October 1 the AP reported that Tampa Bay's Jalon Daniels "will be first of his draft class to start a game." Ten quarterbacks were drafted in April. Daniels, from Kansas, was not one of them. The Buccaneers signed him for three years and $3.125 million, with $272,500 guaranteed and a $25,000 signing bonus. He completed 27 of 44 passes in the preseason with a touchdown and no interceptions, and he beat out Jake Browning and Connor Bazelak for the backup job behind Baker Mayfield.
He got his chance sooner than expected. Mayfield dislocated the thumb on his throwing hand in Week 3, a 23-16 loss to Minnesota, and Daniels finished that game 0-for-3, including a Hail Mary that was intercepted. His first start, against Green Bay in Week 4, was a 17-14 loss: 19-of-27 for 148 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions, plus 55 rushing yards. On Thursday night, October 8, at Dallas, he went 19-of-25 for 189 yards and a touchdown and added 23 rushing yards. Bucky Irving ran for a career-high 165 yards, and Tampa Bay won 24-16 for its first win after an 0-4 start.
ESPN's Jenna Laine found that he was the first undrafted rookie starting quarterback of the common draft era to win for a team that entered winless. He was also the fourth undrafted rookie to win a primetime game since 2000. "Six months ago, if you would've told me that my first win would've been on a Thursday night, Prime football game, I don't know what I would've told you," Daniels said. "I look at myself as if I'm a UDFA rookie going out there and just trying to be able to make plays." Mayfield is out at least three weeks, according to coach Todd Bowles, so Daniels should get more starts.
The Ten Who Were Drafted
ESPN depth charts as of October 12:
| Pick | Quarterback | Team | Role now | Regular-season action |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fernando Mendoza | Raiders | QB2 behind Kirk Cousins | Week 5 mop-up: 6-of-8, 48 yards |
| 13 | Ty Simpson | Rams | QB3 behind Matthew Stafford, Stetson Bennett IV | None |
| 65 | Carson Beck | Cardinals | QB3 behind Jacoby Brissett, Gardner Minshew II | None |
| 76 | Drew Allar | Steelers | QB4 behind Aaron Rodgers, Mason Rudolph, Will Howard | None |
| 110 | Cade Klubnik | Jets | QB2 behind Geno Smith | No pass or rush attempts |
| 178 | Cole Payton | Eagles | QB3 behind Jalen Hurts, Tanner McKee | No offensive snaps reported |
| 182 | Taylen Green | Browns | QB3 behind Deshaun Watson, Shedeur Sanders | None |
| 223 | Athan Kaliakmanis | Commanders | QB3 behind Jayden Daniels, Marcus Mariota | Week 4 relief in London: 15-of-33, 186 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT |
| 234 | Behren Morton | Patriots | QB3 behind Drake Maye, Tommy DeVito | None |
| 249 | Garrett Nussmeier | Chiefs | QB3 behind Patrick Mahomes, Justin Fields | None |
Mendoza's bench year is the deliberate one. We covered it in Fernando Mendoza Has Thrown 8 NFL Passes. He is the first No. 1 overall quarterback to open his career on the bench since Baker Mayfield in 2018, according to the AP. Ty Simpson, the other first-rounder, sits behind Matthew Stafford, and he was inactive as the Rams' emergency third quarterback for Monday night's game against Buffalo.
The Seventh-Rounder Who Has Thrown the Most
The drafted rookie with the most passing yards is Athan Kaliakmanis, the No. 223 pick from Rutgers. On October 4 in London, Marcus Mariota went down after 12 plays against the Colts, and Kaliakmanis played the rest of a 30-13 loss. He went 15-of-33 for 186 yards with a 47-yard touchdown pass to Treylon Burks and an interception. "It was surreal, man, it was absolutely surreal," he said, adding, "I'm going to wake up and prepare like I'm the starter." Jayden Daniels came back from his elbow injury to start Week 5, and Kaliakmanis is listed third on the depth chart.
Two other undrafted rookies have played. Atlanta's Jack Strand came in late in the third quarter of a 34-3 loss to Carolina in Week 2 and drew an ovation from Falcons fans, then threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown on his first series. He finished 8-of-15 for 59 yards. Baltimore kept undrafted Joe Fagnano as its No. 3 quarterback, the job Diego Pavia was competing for before he was waived.
Why No Drafted Rookie Has Started
Most of these teams have an established starter. Kansas City, the Rams, Philadelphia, New England and Pittsburgh have no reason to play a rookie unless someone is hurt. Washington's Jayden Daniels has missed time, but Mariota started ahead of a seventh-round rookie. The Raiders chose a veteran bridge on purpose. The draft also shaped this: only two quarterbacks went in the first round, Mendoza and Simpson, and neither team needed a rookie to start right away.
This pattern was clear before the season. The AP noted in September that no rookie would start on opening weekend for only the second time in 19 seasons. The other was 2022, when Kenny Pickett was the only first-round quarterback. In three of the five seasons before this one, three rookies started on opening weekend.
What to Watch
Daniels' audition. With Mayfield out at least three weeks, Daniels has a few more starts to show he belongs in the NFL. A UDFA quarterback who wins games on a short contract has trade and backup value even after the starter returns.
Mendoza's first start. Las Vegas is 3-2 after two straight losses, with Buffalo and the Rams next. Head coach Klint Kubiak says Kirk Cousins is the starter "but if Fernando's number is called, we have confidence in him."
The Day 3 group. Klubnik is the Jets' backup behind Geno Smith, which puts him one injury from starting. For Beck, Allar and Nussmeier, the important part of their rookie seasons is practice, and the pressure to show something will come in 2027.
Sources
- AP via Bay News 9 - Undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels will be first of his draft class to start a game (Oct. 1, 2026)
- Yahoo Sports - Who is Jalon Daniels? Bucs turning to undrafted rookie QB (Sept. 28, 2026)
- AP via Bay News 9 - Daniels eager to build on first NFL start (Oct. 4, 2026)
- AP via ESPN - Buccaneers 24, Cowboys 16 (Oct. 8, 2026)
- ESPN - Jenna Laine: Undrafted rookie QB Daniels savors Thursday night win (Oct. 9, 2026)
- ESPN - Jalon Daniels game log
- AP via East Idaho News - No rookie QB starts Week 1 for second time in 19 seasons (Sept. 8, 2026)
- AP via WTKR - Kaliakmanis replaces injured Mariota as Commanders lose to Colts in London (Oct. 4, 2026)
- AP via ESPN - Panthers 34, Falcons 3 (Sept. 20, 2026)
- AP via ESPN - Patriots 45, Raiders 17 (Oct. 11, 2026)
- ESPN - Rams injuries (Simpson inactive as emergency third QB)
- ESPN - NFL team depth charts
- Heavy - Kubiak: "Kirk is the starter" (Oct. 12, 2026)