Ty Simpson kept it simple at Alabama’s pro day and somehow made that feel like a statement. In front of NFL teams at the Hank Crisp Indoor Facility, he completed 50 of 55 throws (with two drops), mixing rhythm passes with calculated deep shots, all while reinforcing a reputation built on control. With Fernando Mendoza still projected as the No. 1 pick, Simpson’s projection remains unsettled but increasingly difficult to ignore.
Where Does Ty Simpson Fit in the 2026 NFL Draft?
There is something almost quietly persuasive about the way Simpson plays. He doesn’t overwhelm you at first glance; he draws you in. Early in the session, he hit nearly all of his early passes, mostly short and intermediate.
Then, he glanced toward his receiver, Ryan Coleman-Williams, probably smiled, and tossed out a casual challenge of a throw. The ball he launched moments later climbed high enough to kiss the netting near the roof before dropping perfectly into stride. It was a little piece of theater, the kind quarterbacks sneak in when they’re feeling it.
But just as telling was what came after a mistake. When a deep ball slipped through Coleman-Williams’ hands near the goal line, Simpson didn’t deflect. “That’s on me,” he called out, resetting the moment.
A few plays later, he asked to run it back, and this time they got it right. It’s a small thing, maybe. Unless you’re paying attention.
That’s the thread running through Simpson’s evaluation. Coaches and executives keep coming back to the same words: processing, leadership, and composure.
“Most evaluators agree Brock Purdy is the closest comparison to Simpson’s playing style, though Bo Nix has also come up. Simpson can be a valuable distributor who can grow into a successful starter in a good organization, by all accounts. He could be tremendous in a Sean McVay or Kyle Shanahan West Coast offense because of his processing, footwork and decision-making,” The Athletic’s Jeff Howe wrote.
“Many teams have a second-round grade on Simpson, though more skeptical evaluators see him as a third-rounder. Still, most predict Simpson will be selected in the first round. However, no one will guarantee it, one month out from the draft, QB2’s landing spot remains one of the spring’s most prominent mysteries.”
However, not everyone is hedging their bets. Earlier, on ESPN’s “Get Up,” Dan Orlovsky planted his flag.
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“I think Ty Simpson is QB1,” he said, framing the conversation around something harder to measure: what a quarterback does when everything starts to feel disrupted. In those moments, the ones where timing breaks and instinct takes over, Orlovsky sees Simpson as the steadier presence.
For now, Simpson is in that in-between space, endorsed as QB1 in some corners, graded as a Day 2 talent in others, and projected almost everywhere in between.
