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2026 NFL Draft QB Stock Report Week 7: Mendoza Climbs, Mateer Struggles in Return
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- 2026 NFL Draft QB Stock Report Week 7: Mendoza Climbs, Mateer Struggles in Return
With the Pittsburgh Steelers in the market for a quarterback in the 2026 NFL Draft , Steelers Now will be taking stock of the draft class every week of the 2025 college football season. Week seven highlighted prospects continuing to rise, one preseason favorite bouncing back, and another seeing theirs fall.
STOCK DOWN: Beau Pribula, Missouri
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The Penn State transfer has been under the radar as a draft eligible quarterback this season. Coming into week seven, Pribula had put together some good games including a week four upset over South Carolina. However, in a loss to Alabama, his stock has taken some damage.
The biggest highlight of the game was his game ending interception despite a close battle with the Crimson Tide. He has now turned the ball over in four consecutive games including a season high two picks thrown today.
Pribula failed to eclipse 200 yards passing, averaged only six yards per attempt, and fumbled the ball as well. The senior quarterback is watching his stock begin to unravel despite keeping his team ranked. There is still time to recover, but Saturday was a step back.
The Tigers face four road games in their final six games including two ranked matchups out of three total.
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NFL MDDB Rank:
Week 7, No. 326, QB22
Season Stats: 126-of-173 (72.8% comp. rate), 1370 yards (7.9 yards/attempt), 11 TD, 5 INT
STOCK UP: Trinidad Chambliss, Ole Miss
Saturday wasn't a particularly great day for Ole Miss, but they came away with a victory. The only Rebel to score was Chambliss with two passing and one rushing. Ever since taking over in week three, he has continued to climb the board.
What makes Chambliss the most intriguing prospect for NFL teams is the fact he has established himself as a strong dual-threat passer. In addition to his seven passing scores, he has rushed for three scores as well.
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You won't mistake him for Cam Newton , but he is playing at a high level and is a main reason Ole Miss is ranked in the top-five. Chambliss has already beaten a top-five team in LSU. He and Ole Miss have back-to-back top-10 ranked road games. Up first is Georgia.
Will Chambliss continue to rise as a dark horse first-round prospect on 2026 draft boards?
NFL MDDB Rank
: Week 7, No. 103, QB13
Season Stats: 85-of-130 (65.4% comp. rate), 1286 yards (9.9 yards/attempt), 7 TD, INT
STOCK UP: Fernando Mendoza, Indiana
For the first time since 1967, Indiana defeated an AP top-five ranked team. Not only did they beat them, they walked into Oregon's stadium and controlled the game. It wasn't a stellar game for Mendoza, but he played well enough to get a win.
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Saturday was the biggest test for Mendoza so far this season. He has risen to the challenge each time he has been up to bat. He defeated a highly ranked Illinois team and then won in a tough Iowa environment.
In the matchup with Oregon, he faced another hot prospect in Dante Moore . Though Moore didn't have a great game, he made enough plays to keep the Ducks in it. They day belonged to Indiana and Mendoza–who showed the ability to deliver in big game environments.
NFL MDDB Rank:
Week 7, No. 3, QB2
Season Stats: 109-of-153 (71.2% comp. rate), 1423 (9.3 yards/attempt), 17 TD, 2 INT
Penn State quarterback Drew Allar at the 2024 Peach Bowl in Atlanta. — Jordan Lenenberg / Nittany Sports Now
STOCK DOWN: Drew Allar , Penn State
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Like Penn State, Allar's season appears to be pretty disappointing. The Nittany Lions have now dropped three straight including last week's upset to a winless UCLA. Allar played with grit and toughness against Oregon. However, his game-ending interception in overtime sparked this downward spiral.
Despite completing nearly 65% of his passes so far this season, it has been an underwhelming season. Allar is pacing for career lows in touchdown passes, passing yards, and yards per attempt since becoming a start in 2023.
We have already seen one preseason favorite quarterback play themselves out of the 2026 draft, is Allar on the same track? There isn't much on Penn State's schedule to help him bounce back into a groove. In fact, they have road games and two top-10 ranked matchups on the schedule.
To make matters worse, Allar suffered a season ending injury. 2026 will have a lot of decisions on the table for Allar. Will he return to Penn State, transfer, or declare for the 2026 draft?
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NFL MDDB Rank
: Week 7, No. 36, QB7
Season Stats: 103-of-159 (64.8% comp. rate), 1100 yards (6.9 yards/attempt), 8 TD, 3 INT
STOCK UP: Cade Klubnik , Clemson
After a brutal start to the season, the Tigers have won back-to-back games to put themselves at 3-3. While the college football playoffs may be a stretch, Klubnik's bounce back might not be. He has suddenly looked like the preseason favorite at QB he was anticipated to be.
The dreadful start definitely still looms over him and Clemson, but it looks like Klubnik is beginning to heat up. After his stock took big time hits, he has the opportunity to make a late season push in his stock. On Saturday he got the scoring done through the air and with his legs en route to a 34-10 victory.
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While Klubnik still has work to do in order to bounce back from his rough start to 2025, the past two weeks have been encouraging. Could the former five-star recruit
NFL MDDB Rank:
Week 7, No. 19, QB5
Season Stats: 133-of-202 (65.8% comp. rate), 1530 yards (7.6yards/attempt), 11 TD, 5 INT
STOCK DOWN: John Mateer, Oklahoma
The Oklahoma Sooner's signal caller made a big surprise by returning less than a month after his hand injury. While this type of determination and grittiness will attract NFL teams, it appeared he returned too early.
Mateer failed to lead a touchdown drive and turned the ball over three times–all interceptions on promising drives. It might have been a rivalry game against a preseason favorite Texas, but Oklahoma's offense couldn't get anything going.
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Now Mateer's stock takes a hit from this game. Had he missed the game, it would've been understandable. His backup may have put up similar results. We won't know the answer to that. As it stands, Mateer's health and performance will be under the microscope the rest of the season.
NFL MDDB Rank
: Week 7, No. 25, QB6
Season Stats: 115-of-179 (64.3% comp. rate), 1417 yards (7.9 yards/attempt), 6 TD, 6 INT
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now : 2026 NFL Draft QB Stock Report Week 7: Mendoza Climbs, Mateer Struggles in Return
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