John Mateer hype grows as experts call him obvious 2026 NFL Draft No. 1 pick

Quarterback John Mateer has restarted an Oklahoma pastime as a Heisman Trophy favorite, and now he even has college football experts believing he should be the No. 1 overall pick of the 2026 NFL Draft.

This week on the "Always College Football" podcast, ESPN's Greg McElroy and David Pollack both confidently agreed that Mateer should be the first player off the board in the next NFL Draft.

Greg McElroy and David Pollack believe John Mateer should be top draft pick

Pollack proclaimed it first before asking McElroy, who agreed.

"I'm honestly not sure it's that close at this point," McElroy said. "Now, I'll be honest with you, I like a lot what I've seen from (Miami QB) Carson Beck. I like a lot what I've seen from other guys, for sure. But at this point, knowing the competition he's faced against Michigan and how good they are defensively and the fact he left some plays on the field that game, yeah, it's Mateer."

Mateer transferred from Washington State to Oklahoma this offseason shortly after his offensive coordinator, Ben Arbuckle, became the Sooners' new offensive coordinator. After leading the FBS with 44 total touchdowns last year, Mateer has continued to succeed as a dual-threat weapon in Arbuckle's system, even with a new team.

Through three games, Mateer is second in college football with 368.3 total yards a game and leads the SEC with 944 passing yards. He's accounted for nine total TDs with five through the air and four on the ground.

With a revitalized offense thanks to Arbuckle and Mateer, the Sooners are 3-0 and have impressed enough to jump to No. 11 in the latest AP Top 25 before hosting No. 22 Auburn on Saturday. OU is also considered a serious College Football Playoff contender, and Pollack believes Mateer is the biggest reason why.

"He's got all the goods," Pollack said. "He's a guy that is that force multiplier. He makes everyone around him better. He makes you pick your poison. His running ability -- breaking tackles, making people miss -- is just really, really elite."

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