Injured Monmouth star Derek Robertson emerging as overlooked 2026 NFL prospect

Derek Robertson spent the fall building the kind of profile that turns a good FCS quarterback into a draft conversation, and then an injury to his non-throwing hand and wrist stopped the climb. Before that setback, the Monmouth graduate student was putting up numbers that made it fair to ask whether he is the most overlooked quarterback in the 2026 class.

The case starts with production, not projection. In 2024, Robertson threw for 3,937 yards and 31 touchdowns, led the FCS in passing yards and passing yards per game at 328.1, and set Monmouth single-season records for passing yards and passing touchdowns. He was named the CAA Offensive Player of the Year, became a Walter Payton Award finalist, and finished sixth in the voting. That season also earned him recognition as an All-American by the Associated Press, Stats Perform and FCS Football Central.

Robertson picked up in 2025 where he had left off. He opened the season by completing 34 of 45 passes for 491 yards and four touchdowns against Colgate, then followed with 397 yards and four touchdowns in a win over Villanova. By Sept. 20, Monmouth said he led the FCS with 1,662 passing yards through four games and had 18 touchdown passes. At the midpoint of the season, NCAA.com called him the engine of the Monmouth offense while noting the Hawks were 5-1 and Robertson led the subdivision in passing yards and passing touchdowns.

His biggest burst came against Fordham, when Monmouth said he set program records with six passing touchdowns and seven total touchdowns in a 49-28 win and earned CAA Offensive Player of the Week honors. That run explains why he entered the year on the Stats Perform Walter Payton Award watch list, the East-West Shrine Bowl 1000 Watch List, and preseason first-team All-America teams from Stats Perform, Phil Steele and FCS Football Central. Monmouth said the Shrine Bowl list is meant to preview all-star-eligible players for the 2026 East-West Shrine Bowl and 2026 NFL Draft class.

The injury changes the conversation, but it does not erase the résumé. Monmouth announced on Oct. 29, 2025 that Robertson had injured his non-throwing hand and wrist in the third quarter of a 49-21 win over Stony Brook on Oct. 18 and had begun structured rehabilitation under ongoing medical observation. For Robertson, the next test is clear: prove the hand heals cleanly, show the ball still jumps out of his hand, and convince scouts that the pace, accuracy and command that fueled a record-setting run at Monmouth are intact. If he does, the buzz around one of FCS football’s most productive passers could turn into real draft momentum.