Discussions are heating up as we approach the 2026 NFL Draft, and analyst Peter Schrager surprisingly compared Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson’s situation to Cleveland Browns signal-caller Shedeur Sanders. Many see Simpson as a quality game manager; however, finding a team that fits him could be challenging given the current league landscape.
Peter Schrager Struggles To Find a Landing Spot for Ty Simpson
Indiana’s Heisman winner, Fernando Mendoza, might be a lock at No. 1 to the Las Vegas Raiders, but Schrager is still finding it hard to project where the second-best quarterback in this class, Simpson, should go.
While some believe he’s the undoubted QB1 in the 2026 class, others have concerns about Simpson’s big-game aptitude.
“This is not a knock at Ty Simpson,” Schrager said on “Get Up.” “I don’t have a team for Ty Simpson. While others have these fictional trades to get back into the first round, and moving back, the teams that make sense would be the Jets and Arizona. Ty Simpson’s not going two or three. [The Jets and Cardinals] have the 33rd and 34th picks. They can wait and take him there.”
“Ty Simpson might be a very good player. … I don’t see a team for him right now.”
—@PSchrags on Ty Simpson’s team fit ahead of the NFL draft đź‘€ pic.twitter.com/k0su2n48ZP
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) April 7, 2026
The New York Jets acquired quarterback Geno Smith this offseason to add some value to a position that only has Bailey Zappe and Brady Cook. However, none of them are considered high-end franchise players.
The Arizona Cardinals, on the other hand, parted ways with Kyler Murray, leaving them with nothing but Jacoby Brissett, Gardner Minshew, and Kedon Slovis. They’ll need a proper starting quarterback with James Conner in the backfield and Marvin Harrison Jr. and Trey McBride out wide, so they’re expected to weigh their options ahead of next season.
“I made this mistake last year,” Schrager added. “I didn’t have any team that wanted Shedeur Sanders in the first round. But in my mock draft, I put him to Pittsburgh because I was like, ‘He’s gotta go in the first.’ You start doing this mental gymnastics and creating scenarios in your head — that’s where you get in trouble with these mock drafts.”
Next to no one got Sanders’ landing spot right in the end, as the Colorado product, who had a PFSN’s CFB QB Impact Score of 80.0 in 2024, ultimately fell all the way to the Browns in the fifth round last year.
BE AN NFL GM: PFSN’s Ultimate GM Simulator
“Ty Simpson might be a very good player,” Schrager concluded. “He might be the No. 1 quarterback in this draft, according to some. I don’t have him in the first round right now, and there are still three weeks left to the draft.”
It remains to be seen how teams actually approach the Alabama signal-caller, who even spent time previously under the legendary Nick Saban.
