Draft season always finds its chaos point, and this year, it is sitting right on Ty Simpson. The Alabama quarterback has evaluators split down the middle, with elite upside on one side and head-scratching inconsistency on the other.
Now, with the 2026 NFL Draft inching closer, those internal debates are starting to leak. While some voices are pushing Simpson as the top quarterback in the class, others inside league circles are not fully sold.
What NFL Executives Are Saying About Ty Simpson’s Volatility
During ESPN’s “Get Up,” Kimberley A. Martin pulled back the curtain on what multiple NFL evaluators are actually saying behind closed doors.
“He’s had really good moments, but he’s had, as one person termed it, like, WTF moments throughout a whole game… those sort of, ‘What are you doing?’ types of plays,” Martin said.
That inconsistency remains the sticking point. Martin noted that even evaluators who believe Simpson might be more talented than Fernando Mendoza still lean toward Mendoza as the safer No. 1 pick. One front-office voice even framed Simpson’s range by using Sam Darnold as the benchmark.
However, the floor has shown up on tape, too, and that is where the projection gets tricky. Teams are no longer just scouting for traits; they are also trying to eliminate volatility.
Dan Orlovsky, meanwhile, is pushing hard in the opposite direction. Appearing on “The Pat McAfee Show” this week, Orlovsky revealed he reached out to around a dozen NFL decision-makers with a simple question: Is Simpson QB1?
“I probably texted 12 to 15 general managers… and two people got back to me with a disagreement,” Orlovsky said.
That is not minor backing, and it reflects the real traction Simpson has inside league circles. Orlovsky has consistently alluded to Simpson’s ability to operate within structure and make pro-level throws, and now he is suggesting that belief runs deeper than public rankings show.
Still, the disconnect between media boards and internal evaluations speaks to just how wide Simpson’s draft range is right now.
The numbers back up both sides of the argument. In his lone full season as Alabama’s starter, Simpson threw for 3,567 yards, 28 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions. He completed the season with a passer rating of 145.2, ranking No. 25 in PFSN’s College Football QB Impact Rankings.
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Injuries piled up late in the season, Alabama’s run game disappeared, and suddenly, Simpson started forcing throws, trying to carry too much. That stretch included a costly dip in form, ultimately leading to him being sidelined by a rib injury during the Rose Bowl.
At the next level, the blueprint is already clear: surround him with playmakers and build a strong run game. Because if the environment is right, Simpson has the tools to hit. Now, it is up to teams to decide which version they are betting on.
