NFL analyst goes out on a limb to boost former Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Ty Simpson’s draft stock ahead of April
Ty Simpson has his fair share of fans in the pre-draft process.
For a good portion of the 2025 regular season, Ty Simpson had the Alabama Crimson Tide in the running as the best team in college football and had himself as a Heisman favorite and potential first overall pick in the draft.
Then came the end of the season where he was marred by injury, and it all came to a head in a beatdown against the Indiana Hoosiers. Well, according to ESPN NFL analyst Dan Orlovsky, he’s not bothered by that, and he thinks Simpson is better than the man who ended his college career.
Dan Orlovsky says Ty Simpson is the best quarterback in the 2026 NFL Draft
“I think Ty Simpson is QB one,” Orlovsky said on ESPN on Monday. “I think Ty Simpson is the best quarterback in this class. I think when you look at the body of work and what was asked of these two quarterbacks [Simpson and Fernando Mendoza], you have to start with the question, who needed to do more to carry their football team to play well? Ty Simpson. And it’s not close between those two quarterbacks who took more games over throughout the course of the season. Ty Simpson, it’s not even close.”
I believe that if you go from Week 2 through Week 9 of the college season, Simpson is clearly the best signal caller in the draft. However, he struggled mightily Week 1 against FSU, and some of those issues showed up again, and then compounded the last month of the regular season.
One could argue that his health deteriorated, as did his protection and the pass catchers around him, but the tape is the tape. He did play some of his best ball after being down 17 against the Oklahoma Sooners on the road in the CFP, but Mendoza had gone nuclear at that point.
Where Ty Simpson has Fernando Mendoza beat
“There’s not a ton of moments of panic out of Fernando Mendoza. And then there’s moments when he immediately drops his eyes and becomes a runner. Ty Simpson is more consistent than that. What guy was asked to do? More NFL throws. When I say NFL throws, I’m talking 15, 20, 25-yard routes, crossing routes, deep corner or sale routes.”
“Ty Simpson, and it’s not even close. In that regard, downfield throws the posts in the goes, I think they’re close. Mendoza throws a lot of go routes, and he’s good at it, but I think they’re close. RPO, get it out. That’s what Mendoza’s offense was, right? And I think throwing on the move, they’re both equal. So when it comes to moments of panic and big throws, real NFL throws, I think it’s clearly Ty Simpson.”
The truth is, we won’t know who is actually better for at least half a decade, if not longer. Both have shown a propensity to be a quality NFL starter, but time will tell if Mendoza is as good as he’s projected to be, or if Simpson is being undervalued.
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