2026 NFL Draft: Breaking down quarterback pressure responsibility rate among top prospects

With 15 days left until NFL commissioner Roger Goodell steps onto the stage in Pittsburgh to open the 2026 NFL Draft, the finish line is in sight. Boards are nearly set. Evaluations are mostly complete. And yet, for teams across the league, the most important work is still happening right now.

This is when everything should be getting sharpened: the preparation, the teamwork, the relentless attention to detail. A room aligned on one goal: nothing gets overlooked before the clock starts. Grades are finalized. Boards are stacked and restacked. Scouts and analysts dive back into the tape — sometimes searching for confirmation, sometimes for doubt — all in pursuit of one last edge.

At PFF, that edge comes from the data. Using PFF Premium Stats — the same database used in NFL war rooms — we can isolate the details that matter most in projecting NFL play. So, in the lead-up to the draft, that means digging into the numbers that can sharpen evaluations and uncover what might otherwise be missed.

Today, we’re examining one of the metrics teams should weigh heavily: the pressure-responsibility rate for quarterbacks.

What is quarterback pressure, and why is it important?

Pressure is often viewed as an offensive line stat, but quarterbacks play a significant role in creating it.

Whether it’s holding onto the ball too long, hesitating on the first read or drifting into the pass rush, pressure is often as much about the quarterback as it is the protection. Those who manage it can keep an offense on schedule. Those who invite it can quickly derail drives, and that impact compounds over time.

The data backs that up: Over the 2025 season, plays from a clean pocket averaged 0.225 expected points added per play. Under pressure, that number dropped to -0.331 — a swing large enough to turn one of the league’s most efficient offenses into one of its least productive. The same trend shows up in efficiency: quarterbacks averaged 7.38 yards per attempt from a clean pocket, compared to just 3.93 yards per attempt under pressure.

That’s what makes pressure responsibility rate such an important evaluation tool and why we’re using it here to break down the top of this quarterback class.

Note: This report only accounts for plays where a player allowed pressure, which naturally excludes unblocked or free pressures (from blitzes or stunts, for example).

Fernando Mendoza, Indiana Hoosiers (24.8%)

Big board rank: 1

The top-ranked quarterback — and No. 1 overall player — on the PFF Big Board also finds himself near the bottom of this group in pressure responsibility rate. Mendoza ranked 23rd among the 26 qualifying quarterbacks on the big board, accounting for 24.8% of his total pressures across 105 pressured dropbacks (excluding unblocked or free rushers).

In total, Mendoza was charged with 9 sacks, 11 hurries and six hits — a rate that sits above the class average of 20.0%.

That said, his performance under pressure has helped ease concern around those numbers. Mendoza led the class in pressured passing grade (70.6), completing 42 of his 82 passes for 620 yards, nine touchdowns and just two interceptions across his pressured dropbacks.

The production is encouraging, but the underlying tendency to invite pressure will be a key area of focus as he transitions to the NFL.

Ty Simpson, Alabama Crimson Tide (22.0%)

Big board rank: 42

Simpson faced 127 pressures in 2025 (excluding unblocked or free rushers), second-most among draft-eligible quarterbacks. Of those, he was responsible for 22.0% — inviting 17 hurries, nine sacks and two hits.

Unlike Fernando Mendoza, Simpson struggled to manage pressure in general. He completed 58 of his 119 pressured attempts for 703 yards, four touchdowns and one interception, posting a 45.7 PFF passing grade — well below the top end of the class. While his eight big-time throws offer some encouragement, they were outweighed by 12 turnover-worthy plays.

There’s development needed on both fronts. Simpson will have to reduce the amount of pressure he invites and improve his efficiency when it arrives.

Garrett Nussmeier, LSU Tigers (13.7%)

Big board rank: 93

This one tracks. Nussmeier’s NFL bloodlines show up in a controlled, polished approach to the position — and that translates to how he manages pressure.

He faced just 73 pressured dropbacks (excluding unblocked or free rushers) in 2025 and was responsible for only 13.7% of those pressures, accounting for five sacks, three hurries and two hits — well below the class average of 20.0%.

He also held up reasonably well when pressure did arrive. Nussmeier completed 29 of 60 attempts for 368 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions, posting four big-time throws against three turnover-worthy plays and earning a 55.9 passing grade in those situations.

Drew Allar, Penn State Nittany Lions (17.1%)

Big board rank: 96

Across just six games and 186 dropbacks, he faced only 44 pressured dropbacks — a 23.7% pressure rate that ranked among the lowest in the country. When isolating quarterback-responsible pressure, that number drops even further.

Allar was charged with just six total pressures on the year — five hurries and one sack — accounting for 17.1% of his pressures (excluding unblocked or free rushers).

Carson Beck, Miami (FL) Hurricanes (19.2%)

Big board rank: 113

Beck operated in the cleanest environment of any quarterback in this class in 2025.

Across 525 dropbacks, he faced pressure on just 89 plays, with 11 of those coming from unblocked or free rushers. That leaves 78 pressures attributable to protection or quarterback play — and Beck was responsible for 19.2% of them, finishing with one hit, 10 hurries and four sacks, right in line with the class average (20.0%).

What becomes more concerning about his profile is how he handled those situations in general. Beck completed 28 of 58 attempts for 369 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions under pressure, posting five big-time throws against six turnover-worthy plays. The result was a 48.8 PFF passing grade — a mark that sits well below the top tier of this group.

How the entire class stacks up

The Allowed Pressure Report, available through a PFF+ subscription, gives you a complete breakdown of how pressure is distributed across an offense. Within the report, you’ll find everything from total pressured dropbacks to sacks, hits and hurries allowed, along with detailed responsibility splits across the offensive line and quarterback.

You can access the full report with a PFF+ subscription — and for a limited time, get 25% off with promo code DRAFT.