2026 NFL Draft: The case — and concern — for LaNorris Sellers as QB1

College & Draft Sports

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• Sellers’ run-game ability pushes him to another level: He brings the size to play quarterback at the next level and the rushing ability of someone much smaller, putting him in the prospect tier of guys like Josh Allen, Cam Newton and Anthony Richardson.

• SEC defenses won’t make it easy for Sellers in 2025: Sellers’ average time to throw is higher than it needs to be, at 3.30 seconds. He also put the ball in harm’s way too much last season, often from misreading where a safety was or how a defense was rotating its coverages.

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Estimated Reading Time: 4 minutes

In the quarterback episode of Summer Scouting on the NFL Stock Exchange Show, I revealed that I had South Carolina‘s LaNorris Sellers as my early QB7 for the 2026 NFL Draft heading into the 2025 college football season. That seemed like a far cry from other articles, reports or just declarations of opinion that have Sellers tabbed as the top quarterback in the class, and potentially even the No. 1 overall pick.

First, let’s talk about why Sellers is so high on some evaluators’ radars. He was a first-time starter in 2024 as just a redshirt sophomore. He passes the “off the bus” eye test with flying colors, listed at 6-foot-3 and 240 pounds and ranking above the 50th percentile in height for the position in the NFL and above the 90th percentile in weight.

Then the question becomes, how does he move at that weight? In the modern game, if your quarterback isn’t somewhat of a threat with their legs, they’re behind the eight-ball in how they can stress a defense. Sellers can move.

At 240 pounds, Sellers posted a 97.5 PFF in-game athleticism score in 2024, with 75 plays where he was clocked at 15-plus mph and two where he was clocked above 20 mph. Among FBS quarterbacks with at least 50 carries, Sellers’ 73.8 PFF rushing grade ranked 33rd and his 852 rushing yards were the 12th most. His 581 rushing yards after contact were the eighth most, and his 47 missed tackles forced tied for the sixth most. He also had two games, against Texas A&M and Clemson, in which he forced more than 10 missed tackles.

Sellers brings the size to play quarterback at the next level and the rushing ability of someone much smaller. Generally, the bigger the athlete, the better the chance of making an impact in the NFL. This puts Sellers in the prospect tier of guys like Josh Allen, Cam Newton and Anthony Richardson, all drafted in the top 10. That is the root of his high-end projection. However, he does have a high sack rate (8.1%). 

As alluring as his rushing ability is, quarterbacks still have to win from the pocket first and foremost. Sellers earned a 70.8 PFF passing grade in his first season as a starter, a fine mark. He was volatile, though, with 18 big-time throws and 19 turnover-worthy plays. He must improve how he processes the field both  pre- and post-snap. Quarterbacks who can make things happen with their legs naturally have a higher time-to-throw average. But even considering that, Sellers’ was higher than it needed to be, at 3.31 seconds. He put the ball in harm’s way too much, often from misreading where a safety was or how a defense was rotating its coverages.

Highest Average Times to Throw in SEC in 2024

Then we get into some situational passing. In third-and-long situations (7 or more yards to go), Sellers’ passing grade dipped to 56.2 with one big-time throw and four turnover-worthy plays. Still, his 86.4 PFF passing grade under pressure with nine big-time throws and just four turnover-worthy plays is incredibly impressive. He also earned a decent PFF passing grade when throwing over the intermediate middle of the field (64.5) and a 72.6 mark when throwing on the run, which is not always a guaranteed strength, even with mobile quarterbacks.

Right now, Sellers is an “all the tools in the world” type of quarterback, so it’s easy to see why people are ready to bet on him. The worry is that he’s another Anthony Richardson, who, even when healthy, has not proven himself to be a consistent enough passer in the NFL to this point. I think Sellers shows a higher baseline right now than Richardson did when he was at Florida. That doesn’t mean he’s the next Josh Allen, either.

If Sellers can show he understands the capabilities, structure and deception of defenses pre-and post-snap better in 2025, his time to throw will go down, his passing efficiency will soar and we’ll continue to talk about him as a top 10-pick. He’ll have plenty of opportunities to do so against SEC-level competition.

This news was originally published on this post .

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