Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Ty Simpson doesn’t have a lot of collegiate starting experience (15 starts during his time in Tuscaloosa), but he is still trending to be a first round selection in the 2026 NFL Draft.

And after the first day of NFL free agency (deals agreed to on Monday and Tuesday can become official on Wednesday), there’s a little more clarity on where Simpson may land in the draft.

ESPN details which team they believe will draft Ty Simpson

ESPN’s Field Yates believes the Arizona Cardinals will be the team that drafts Simpson, following the release of quarterback Kyler Murray.

The Cardinals have the No. 3 overall pick and the No. 34 overall pick.

“I’m joining my colleague Jordan Reid’s parade and forecasting the Cardinals to make a move for Simpson,” wrote Yates. “With Kyler Murray set to be released, Arizona’s search for a new QB is officially on; they also potentially showed their cards by adding Gardner Minshew on a one-year deal as a depth/bridge option. Taking Simpson at No. 3 overall would be a massive reach to me, but Arizona could trade into the 20s somewhere and land him — akin to what the Giants did to get Jaxson Dart last year.”

Taking Simpson at No. 3 overall would definitely seem like a stretch for the Cardinals. And there’s no guarantee he’ll still be there when Arizona picks at No. 34.

ESPN’s Jordan Reid predicted recently that Arizona will make a trade with Houston Texans for the No. 28 overall pick to select Simpson.

“With the news that Kyler Murray will officially be either cut or traded before the start of the league year, the Cardinals have a lot of quarterback questions,” wrote Reid. “So I have them trading back into the bottom of the first round to acquire their QB of the future. Simpson is a perfect fit in new coach Mike LaFleur’s offense. Simpson operates well off play-action but makes his best throws in the short and intermediate areas.”

It’s notoriously difficult to predict where quarterbacks will be drafted. All it takes is one team to fall in love with a quarterback for a guy to go way earlier than expected. Conversely, if a couple of quarterback-needy teams pass on a guy, it can lead to an unexpected free fall.

The good news for Simpson is that there are enough quarterback-needy teams that he shouldn’t have too many concerns about a free fall.

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