Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Ty Simpson has received a rather surprising NFL Draft outlook.
At this point, the general consensus is that Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Ty Simpson is a massive question mark heading into the 2026 NFL Draft.
You would be hard-pressed to find anyone who really likes him as a prospect, citing his lack of any truly elite skills and his pedestrian athleticism.
But there is still a small faction that envisions big things for Simpson, and Fox Sports analyst Joel Klatt is one of them.
Klatt is predicting Simpson to land with the Pittsburgh Steelers at No. 21 overall this April, and he seems to believe that the Alabama product has great potential.
"I really like Ty Simpson from Alabama," Klatt said. "I’m higher on Simpson than most. You can make the argument that someone’s going to trade up and get Ty Simpson. This guy makes all the throws."
Simpson threw for 3,567 yards, 28 touchdowns and five interceptions while completing 64.5 percent of his passes in 2025. He faded considerably down the stretch, but that was due much in part to injury.
Ty Simpson. Credit: Gary Cosby Jr. / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images."I know he’s not a huge player But if you turn on the tape and watch some of the throws he makes, they are NFL throws," Klatt added. "Anticipatory throws, he throws with great leverage on the outside. He was phenomenal for big stretches."
One of the major red flags held against Simpson is that he only made 15 starts on the collegiate level, which typically is not a recipe for professional success.
But maybe Simpson is a different case? And perhaps he can buck the trend of Crimson Tide quarterbacks generally not succeeding in the NFL?
Simpson definitely got off to a strong start this past season. In fact, over his first nine games, he threw 21 touchdown passes and just one pick. But things unraveled a bit for the signal-caller late in the campaign, and he was ultimately forced out of Alabama's Rose Bowl loss to Indiana due to a fractured rib.
Even before that, though, Simpson had been playing through a lower back injury and elbow bursitis, so health issues are an entirely plausible explanation for his struggles in the waning moments of his final season.
Simpson is still viewed as the No. 2 quarterback in this year's draft class, so we will see where he ends up going in a couple of months.
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