The Las Vegas Raiders have the top pick in the draft, and now a new quarterback is (sort of?) entering the picture.
It’s time for the NFL draft hype machine to go into overdrive, and the Las Vegas Raiders are a big part of the hype this year. They have the top pick in the draft, of course, and they were on track to add even more draft capital until the ill-fated Maxx Crosby trade fell apart and the star defensive end boomeranged back to Las Vegas.
But the Raiders are expected to take Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza with that top pick, which means there has to be a comp of some sort to generate hot takes and talking points to tarnish Mendoza’s reputation and skill set some. Fuel for that take was supplied by Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson, who just threw at Alabama after showcasing his skills recently at the NFL combine.
"Why not?" Simpson said in an ESPN piece. "Go have fun. Go sling it. You watch the tape of the pro day, there wasn't any easy throws. I didn't want to make it easy."
Simpson said he hasn’t decided whether he’ll take NFL’s invite to attend the draft in Pittsburgh next month, but he’s doing the smart thing to back up his opinion that he’s a first-round pick.
"Absolutely," Simpson said. "I feel like I've done everything I can, but it's not up to me. I just know that wherever I go, I'm going to give it my all and make sure I'll put my best foot forward.
"There's going to be a lot of questions around my name. I know what I'm capable of, and I know whoever gets me is going to get a good player and a guy who loves football and a guy who loves the team and loves being a part of something bigger than himself."
One media maven who’s offering a slightly more dour assessment of all this is Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, who sees the rising tide of Simpson vs. Mendoza comps as something to “fuel the never-ending take machine.”
Enter ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky, Florio added, noting that the former quarterback who once stepped out of the end zone to avoid a sack rarely hesitates to offer a hot take that becomes utter nonsense on the field. This one states that “Ty Simpson is the best quarterback in the 2026 draft class,” which is news to anyone who watched Mendoza lead Indiana to the national championship this year.
Florio correctly states that this take is good business for ESPN, and he also noted that both Orlovsky and Simpson are represented by CAA. It’s good fun for those who enjoy insider noise, but it will be interesting to see what comments float out of Las Vegas after Mendoza’s pre-draft visit with the Raiders.