You’ve probably seen the viral clip of Dan Orlovsky and Pat McAfee arguing about whether Ty Simpson should be QB1 in this NFL Draft class over Fernando Mendoza. This is the problem with having months between the NFL Scouting Combine and the NFL Draft. Baseless arguments, scorching takes and unwarranted hype. That’s the issue with Orlovsky’s take on Simpson.Â
It’s clear that Mendoza is the best quarterback prospect in this NFL Draft class. Sure, Simpson is good, but to catapult him from being a Day 2 pick to possibly landing inside the top 15, well that’s just forced. There’s a way to dive into draft prospects without throwing around wild takes. Orlovsky and any other former player — or backup quarterback — turned analyst use their experience to make them credible. That doesn’t mean they are always right.Â
Is Ty Simpson a top 15 pick in this year’s NFL Draft?
Simpson isn’t a top 15 pick in this NFL Draft. He had a decent season at Alabama, leading the Crimson Tide to the College Football Playoff quarterfinals. But he isn’t worth a first-round pick. Not even for teams as desperate as the New York Jets, who need quarterback help badly. This isn’t a deep quarterback class and with the 2027 class a lot more promising, it’s not worth drafting Simpson high.Â
I think Day 2 is a good evaluation for him. At times this year with Alabama, he showed just how much potential he has. He also struggled the last month of the season, plummeting his draft stock. Simpson wasn’t a top quarterback in this class before Dante Moore announced he was returning back to college. He couldn’t possibly have jumped up to the top 15 conversation when nothing has changed since the combine.Â
Why is Ty Simpson getting so much hype ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft?
The biggest reason Simpson is getting a lot of hype right now is because there’s not a lot to talk about NFL Draft wise right now and people need things to talk about. Quarterbacks are always going to be talking points so naturally, drumming up conversations about Simpson seemed relevant. The only thing is, the takes are a bit outlandish. Simpson hasn’t done anything to change his draft stock and no other quarterback has done anything to affect Simpson.Â
If Mendoza ended up getting hurt or decided not to throw at Indiana’s upcoming pro day, then that’s one thing. But to simply throw around wild takes and see what sticks just doesn’t make sense. Simpson not only lost head-to-head to Mendoza, he also was knocked out of contention for the Heisman Trophy.Â
Is the Ty Simspon hype more SEC bias?
With all the new hype Ty Simpson is getting, it makes you wonder how deep SEC bias is. The SEC constantly wants to be the center of attention and getting second place to the Big Ten isn’t an option. Not that SEC bias is the biggest motive, but it’s the only thing that would make sense of all this new hype. Simpson played at Alabama and still wasn’t even the best quarterback in the conference. Diego Pavia was arguably better so the fact that Simpson is getting talked about more than him is puzzling.Â
No matter how you look at it, Simpson isn’t the draft prospect some people are trying to make him. From the last month of the season to the NFL combine, Simpson proved he’s probably a Day 2 pick at best. Trading back into the first round to take him doesn’t make sense and he’s certainly not worth a top 15 pick. The NFL’s draft season has blown things out of proportion, which is more proof there’s too much time between the combine and the NFL Draft.