Josh Pate Includes Drew Mestemaker on Top 10 Quarterbacks List

With just days until kickoff, one of college football’s prominent voices shared that he thinks the Cowboys are going to get quite a bit of production out of their quarterback in 2026.

Josh Pate on Sunday night ranked the country’s Top 10 quarterbacks in terms of expected production, and it sounds as if he thinks the Cowboys will have the best quarterback on the field in every game apart from one this year. Drew Mestemaker came it at No. 10 on Pate’s QB rankings.

I am socializing my 2026 QB rankings based on expected production

What will I regret the most here? pic.twitter.com/GAbAFjBiwu

— Josh Pate (@JoshPateCFB) August 31, 2026

“I think Mestemaker’s gonna put up really big numbers at Oklahoma State,” Pate said. “And I think they start maybe a lot faster than the general public expects because, you know once upon a time when a coach took a new job, it was a start over from scratch situation, and that’s not the way that it works these days nor will it work that way for Eric Morris in Stillwater. Mestemaker put up 4,300 yards last year. They bring a good chunk of that roster with him. Good tailback talent there.

“I think he’ll put up big numbers. I know there’s some people in the draft community that question how legitimate he is as, like, a future prospect, which is good because it gives him a lot to prove wrong this year.”

Mestemaker was the only Big 12 passer on the list, joining one from the ACC, three from the SEC, one from Notre Dame and four from the Big Ten.

One of those Big Ten representatives was Oklahoma State’s Week 2 foe Dante Moore (Oregon), who came in at No. 5. In his first year as the Ducks’ starter last season, Moore threw for 3,565 yards and 30 touchdowns to 10 picks. Of that, 266 yards and three touchdowns came against the Cowboys last season in Eugene.

“I think he’s gonna have a big statistical year,” Pate said of Moore. “Of that, I have very few questions. If they get a good enough offensive line product in front of him, he’ll have a great statistical year. He could very well win the Heisman Trophy.

“Big question about Dante Moore — and big question about Oregon — is when they get in the big moments, specifically, they’re gonna go on the road to Ohio State this year. Can they go on the road and beat them? And in that kind of moment, is that the kind of situation where if they need a drive late Dante Moore can put it together? It’s really all I care about at this point. I don’t really, frankly, question whether he can move the ball against Oklahoma State. I don’t question that. I question whether he can get the job done when Ohio State or Michigan puts the heat on him, when Indiana puts the heat on him. And if he can, he may be No. 1 on this list overall.”

So, subtle shot at the Cowboys’ defense there, but that’s probably what happens when you go to Eugene and get throttled 69-3 the year before — even if it was almost an entirely different group of Pokes.

The best part of all of this is soon we’ll just know. We’ll get to watch it with our own eyes. This has been the longest offseason ever (probably because it felt like it started after that game in Eugene last year), and it’s finally almost over.