The draft is always a critical time for teams to identify their next franchise cornerstone. This year, it seemed like a rather straightforward choice for Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza to be the best quarterback available.
However, after Dan Orlovsky said Ty Simpson was a better choice, a ton of outrage followed. Now, a former second overall pick himself, Robert Griffin III, has brutally fired back against the quarterback-turned-analyst.
Robert Griffin III Flames Dan Orlovsky Over Ty Simpson Comments
The most important position in the sport often comes with significant uncertainty. With the right quarterback almost certainly changing the face of the franchise, teams are always on the lookout for the perfect piece for their roster.
Mendoza seemed like the clear-cut choice this year until Orlovsky sparked the conversation once again. Claiming that Simpson was the more NFL-ready product with better pro-level throws, he named the Alabama product as his QB1.
Unfortunately, Griffin took offense to his breakdown. On X, he had a lot to say on the situation, even bringing up some of Orlovsky’s own lowlights to tear him down. But he first made it clear that he had no problem with someone having their own opinion.
Instead, his issues went a level deeper. “When you go about it in a way that is discrediting Fernando Mendoza, saying that he didn’t have as many big-time throws, didn’t have as many crunch time moments, it’s worse than stepping out of the back of the endzone.”
The incident he’s referring to was arguably the worst moment of Orlovsky’s career as a quarterback in the NFL. Suited up for the Lions, he unintentionally stepped out of bounds in the end zone for a disastrous safety.
Everyone is allowed to have an opinion on who they think the #1 QB is in this year NFL Draft, but trying to discredit the fact that nobody made more big time/crunch time throws than Fernando Mendoza in College Football last year or played in bigger games is worse than stepping… pic.twitter.com/u30Ihxy64X
— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) March 25, 2026
But RG3 wasn’t done just yet. “When you really look at the facts, Fernando Mendoza was, I believe, number 4 in completion percentage (72%), I believe he was number 4 in yards per attempt (9.3), I believe he was number 1 in touchdowns (41) and quarterback rating (90.3). He was the most efficient quarterback in all of college football.”
Going a step further, he believed the method of watching the film needed to be more uniform rather than nitpicking players based on arbitrary criteria. Then he brought up the controversy circulating on social media.
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“People are saying that Dan Orlovsky might be doing something because he and Ty Simpson are represented by the same agency, CAA.” While Griffin wasn’t willing to accuse another NFL player like that, he believed the conclusion was coming because the tape wasn’t lining up with everything Orlovsky had said about the two quarterbacks.
On the latest mock draft by PFSN, T.J. Randall isn’t going the Orlovsky route. Instead, he has Mendoza going to the Las Vegas Raiders with the first overall pick, while Simpson falls to the 34th pick to the Arizona Cardinals after they moved on from Kyler Murray this offseason.
