Ty Simpson makes a bold pre-draft move, showcasing his arm and impressing NFL decision-makers. His draft stock soars as teams eye the Alabama QB.
Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson appears to be rising on draft boards this spring.
Before the NFL Scouting Combine in February, Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza appeared to be the No. 1 quarterback in this year's draft class.
More than likely, the Las Vegas Raiders will draft Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Still, former NFL quarterback Dan Orlovsky argued Simpson is the best quarterback in the 2026 class.
During an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, Orlovsky, represented by the same agency as Simpson, suggested top people in the league think Simpson could be a better quarterback in the league than Mendoza.
“I can tell you, I probably texted 12 to 15 general managers, decision-making coaches in the NFL the very simple text of 'Ty Simpson is QB1 in this class,'” Orlovsky said. “And two people got back to me with a disagreement.”
Simpson made another play to get more publicity before the draft on Wednesday. He participated in Alabama's pro day.
Per Matt Stahl of Al.com, Simpson gave his reasoning for participating in the pro day. He wanted to show off his arm to scouts and executives in attendance.
Simpson also wanted to help receivers Germie Bernard and Josh Cuevas.
"Why not go have fun, go sling it?” Simpson said. “You know, you watch the tape of pro day, there wasn’t any easy throw. They didn’t want to make it easy.
"And just being able to throw to Josh and Germ and those guys I care about and really great teammates to me is just something that I wanted to do. And so I wanted to make it fun, throw here, throw to them one more time and end it with a bang.”
Simpson might not go No. 1, but he has a better chance of going in the first round now than he did in February when he was thought to be more of a Day 2 pick.
There are plenty of teams in the league who need a quarterback, and the supply of rookie quarterbacks isn't that great.
That should work in Simpson's favor.