At this point, no one knows what’s going to happen with Kyler Murray and the Arizona Cardinals. Their 28-year-old quarterback seemed ready to return to action before the team placed him on the IR. Murray was having a rough year, but that doesn’t excuse the fact that Arizona’s only other option is Jacoby Brissett.
The 32-year-old is far from their long-term answer, so that’s precisely why PFSN’s Ian Cummings has the Cardinals selecting a quarterback in his latest mock draft. Cummings sees the Cardinals drafting No. 4 overall as part of a trade with the New York Giants. After moving up, he sees them selecting a 27-touchdown QB from Alabama.
QB Ty Simpson Heads to Arizona Cardinals In Latest Mock Draft
Arizona would have to put in a bit of work to make this a reality, but in a quarterback-heavy draft class, there’s no better time than now. With the 2026 NFL draft on the horizon, the Cardinals need to ask themselves just how much of a priority it is to select a QB. Currently, both Murray and Brissett have a C in PFSN’s QB Impact Metric.
“Projected Trade: Cardinals receive No. 4 pick, 2027 fourth-round pick; Giants receive No. 9 pick, No. 40 pick, 2027 second-round pick, 2027 third-round pick,” Cummings said. His mock draft features numerous trades, including the Tennessee Titans trading out of the No. 1 overall pick. Upon doing so, the Cleveland Browns selected QB Dante Moore.
At No. 2 overall, the New York Jets traded up to select QB Fernando Mendoza. Simpson is the third quarterback coming off the board at No. 4. Cummings wrote, “There was a brief stretch when Ty Simpson was my QB1, but he’s since cooled off a bit after back-to-back-to-back rocky performances.”
Ultimately, Simpson is still relatively inexperienced. The Alabama QB is a junior, having been with the team since 2022. This is his first year as QB1, and with expectations always sky-high for a Crimson Tide QB, anything less than a playoff appearance will be disappointing. Of Simpson’s 27 total touchdowns, 22 of those have come in the air. He boasts a stellar 22-to-4 touchdown-to-interception ratio.
While Simpson hadn’t thrown a passing touchdown before this year, he did have three rushing touchdowns. Two of his five total touchdowns on the ground have come this year as he has 95 rushing yards. That is a new career high, but he only had 130 career rushing yards before this season. In no world is Simpson comparable to Murray, and he isn’t a gunslinger like Brissett, but that doesn’t mean the Cardinals shouldn’t consider him.
