Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Ty Simpson has received a shocking take heading into the NFL Draft.
Earlier in the 2025 college football season, there was serious chatter about Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Ty Simpson potentially being the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft, but that talk faded down the stretch.
Simpson wasn't incredibly impressive during the second half of the season, and even though that may have been largely due to injuries, it ultimately affected his stock.
Plus, many are concerned about the fact that Simpson only had 15 starts on the collegiate level, which is typically a recipe for disaster in the NFL.
The general consensus is that Indiana's Fernando Mendoza is the top quarterback in this year's draft class, and he will almost certainly go No. 1 overall to the Las Vegas Raiders.
However, former NFL quarterback and current ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky clearly thinks that would be a mistake, as he actually feels that Simpson is the best signal-caller in this upcoming group.
"I think Ty Simpson is QB1. I think Ty Simpson is the best quarterback in this class," Orlovsky said on Get Up.
Orlovsky added that he felt Simpson needed to do more than Mendoza and that he displayed more dominance in terms of taking over football games throughout the course of the 2025 campaign.
Ty Simpson. Credit: Jacob Musselman-Imagn Images."I like Fernando Mendoza. This is not to slight Mendoza," Orlovsky said. "I would rather have Ty Simpson at the 15-20 range than Fernando Mendoza at 1."
Simpson threw for 3,567 yards, 28 touchdowns and nine interceptions while completing 64.5 percent of his passes this past season.
The 23-year-old definitely posted good numbers, but many question whether or not he is actually elite in any one particular area.
Simpson only has decent arm strength, and he is not incredibly athletic. Also, his lack of experience is a big factor. How will Simpson be able to adjust to the NFL with so few NCAA starts under his belt?
Of course, this is a very thin quarterback class in general, so perhaps Simpson does have a chance to actually be the cream of the crop. He certainly flashed plenty of potential before the injuries started in 2025.
But there are some who feel that Simpson won't even be selected in the first round next month, which just shows how much of a dichotomy there is when it comes to evaluating the Martin, Tn. native.
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