INDIANAPOLIS — It’s one of the most debated questions in all of football: When your team is trailing in the final minute and needs a touchdown, which quarterback are you turning to?
Well, we put 42 prospects in the 2026 NFL Draft to the test and asked them that question in our NFL Combine Survey. To no surprise, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes won the vote. In the three times I’ve done this exercise (2022, 2025), Mahomes has come out on top in this survey.
“It’s hard not to say Patrick Mahomes,” one prospect told me.
Fourteen other prospects in the 2026 draft class also picked Mahomes. Among active quarterbacks, Mahomes is eighth in career fourth-quarter comebacks (20). But he has the most of any quarterback drafted in 2013 or later.
The Chiefs’ quarterback received nearly double the votes of the second-highest vote getter, Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson. The two-time MVP received eight votes as he has 11 all-time fourth-quarter comebacks.
Last year’s runner-up, the Eagles‘ Jalen Hurts, didn’t get a single vote, with Philadelphia’s offense taking a step back. Bills quarterback Josh Allen (5) received the third-most votes after logging six game-winning drives (postseason included) this past season.
Chicago’s Caleb Williams (4) came in fourth after a strong season of fourth-quarter comebacks, logging seven fourth-quarter comeback victories in the regular season and postseason. He also had that memorable fourth-down touchdown pass to help the Bears tie the game against the Rams in their divisional-round loss.
Speaking of the Rams, Matthew Stafford received three votes following his MVP season. Stafford’s 39 fourth-quarter comeback victories are also the fourth-most all-time and lead all active quarterbacks.
Four quarterbacks got a single vote each: the Bengals‘ Joe Burrow, the Seahawks‘ Sam Darnold, the 49ers’ Brock Purdy and the Buccaneers’ Baker Mayfield.
As for the three players who skipped answering the question, one picked “the quarterback that coach puts out there that he trusts to go out there and execute the job. That’s the quarterback we’re standing with. Whoever coach puts out there.”
Another player opted to bypass answering the question for another reason.
“I’m more so into hitting quarterbacks,” one of the prospects told me.
Let’s take a full look at the results.
RESULTS:
Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs: 15
Lamar Jackson, Ravens 8
Josh Allen, Bills 5
Caleb Williams, Bears 4
Matthew Stafford, Rams 3
(QBs that received one vote: Joe Burrow, Bengals; Sam Darnold, Seahawks; Brock Purdy, 49ers; Baker Mayfield, Buccaneers)
