Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Ty Simpson is seeing his NFL Draft stock plummet.
Earlier this season, Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Ty Simpson looked like a sure-fire top-10 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. But a rough end to the campaign has caused Simpson's stock to drop.
How much? Well, some have even wondered if Simpson could return to school for another year to try and rebuild his reputation.
Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz of USA Today didn't go that far, but he has Simpson falling out of the top 10 and the top 15 in the draft and has him going 20th overall to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
"At one point this fall, Simpson was coming along so quickly in his first season as a starter that he looked like he could be a legitimate challenger to be the first quarterback taken in the draft despite his shortage of experience," Middlehurst-Schwartz wrote. "Now, that notion seems fairly distant, as he's struggled a good deal in the last month."
Middlehurst-Schwartz does, however, feel that Pittsburgh could be a good fit for Simpson.
"Pittsburgh might value his quick processing and pocket maneuvering more highly than some other teams, and his arrival could clear up a post-Aaron Rodgers future that long looked murky," he added.
Perhaps falling toward the back end of the first round wouldn't be the worst thing for Simpson's career trajectory, because he at least wouldn't be starting with one of the worst teams in football.
Plus, if Rodgers ultimately returns in 2026, Simpson could learn under the future Hall-of-Famer for a year before taking the reins as the starter in 2027.
Of course, Simpson's NFL Draft stock will certainly be affected by how he performs in the College Football Playoff.
Alabama will face the Oklahoma Sooners in their first-round CFP matchup on Friday night.
The Crimson Tide lost to Oklahoma at home last month, with Simpson going 28-for-42 with 326 yards, a touchdown and an interception.
If Simpson is able to play well in a win against the Sooners, it will definitely help boost his draft status, and if he guides Alabama on a prolonged playoff run, you can bet that he will rocket up draft boards once again.
There is very little question that Simpson's NFL Draft status is currently hanging in the balance. Now, it's up to him to send it in the right direction.