The top-30 NFL visit lists have been loaded with mid-round QBs. Not because GMs are bored. Rather, it’s because they don’t trust their depth charts, they don’t want to pay the veteran backup market, or they don’t want to be one twisted ankle away from a lost season. Or all three, really. Miami alone has confirmed visits with five quarterbacks – Drew Allar, Ty Simpson, Taylen Green, Mark Gronowski, and Jalon Daniels. Five. That’s not simple curiosity, friends.
The same pattern is showing up across the league, as well. And it’s precisely why these mid-round quarterbacks are going to go earlier than we all expect.
MORE: Stop overlooking 2026 NFL Draft’s most proven first-round prospects
Daniels is getting visits because he has volume, athleticism, and enough live reps to project as a functional backup. Teams want to sit him down, test the processing, and see if the decision-making matches the mobility. The Patriots, Bucs, and Dolphins have all been tied to bringing him in.
Gronowski has also been getting visits from multiple teams, including the Dolphins, Commanders, and Giants. When a QB like this gets repeated meetings, it usually means teams think he can be a high-floor QB2 – if the mental side checks out.
Morton showing up in trackers and team content is the signal here. He’s in that draftable-backup tier, where a team takes him in Round 4 or 5, thus avoiding the scramble in the undrafted market for him.
The Packers used a top-30 visit on Drones, which suggests it’s a little more than kicking the tires. Drones is a developmental athlete who could be a future QB2, or could just end up a camp competitor.
This year’s QB pipeline narrative is simple. Teams aren’t confident. They’re buying insurance and farming competition. They’re drafting someone they can develop without paying veteran backup prices. The Tyson Bagent blueprint, if you will.
If you’re expecting these mid-round QBs to slide because it’s a weak class, you’re going to be wrong. Weak class or not, the NFL still needs quarterbacks. And teams damn well know it.
— Enjoy free coverage of the top news & trending stories on The Big Lead —