With the draft less than ten days away, attention continues to center around Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza. However, he might not be the only quarterback who will hear his name called in the first round. Alabama signal-caller Ty Simpson hopes to be one of those, and the former Crimson Tide passer recently opened up about his opinion on Mendoza.
Ty Simpson Discusses Facing Off Against Fernando Mendoza
In the last couple of months, Simpson watched his stock soar. From sitting behind Bryce Young and Jalen Milroe in Tuscaloosa to potentially hearing his name called in the first round of the draft. In his only season as a starter, Simpson threw for 3,567 yards with 28 passing touchdowns.
The future draftee also led his team against Indiana, led by Mendoza. Simpson sat down with former NFL head coach Jon Gruden on “Gruden’s QB Class” to discuss the competition against the incumbent Heisman Trophy winner.
“A great player, a guy who is big, strong, and can make all the throws,” Simpson said about Mendoza. “But I was excited because I knew how everybody perceived him. And I was ready for, you know, go head-to-head with him and show why I’m, you know, should be in the conversation as well.”
Simpson and Mendoza squared off in the quarterfinals of the College Football Playoff. Alabama didn’t score until the third quarter, a 28-yard field goal by Conor Talty. Meanwhile, Mendoza threw for 192 yards, completing 87.5% of his passes with 3 touchdowns.
In contrast, Simpson completed 75% of his 16 passes for 67 yards and zero scores. Indiana won that game, 38-3. Eventually, the Hoosiers won the CFP national championship, finishing with a 16-0 record.
Before the matchup, Mendoza already claimed the Heisman Trophy, and the Las Vegas Raiders secured the top pick. Since then, word leaked out that Mendoza is already learning the Raiders’ playbook. Klint Kubiak, fresh off a Super Bowl victory as the offensive coordinator of the Seattle Seahawks, takes charge in the desert as the head coach of the Raiders.
Meanwhile, Simpson, though none of his doing, became a constant conversation point during the buildup to the draft. ESPN commentator Dan Orlovsky spent time on the network touting Simpson as the better prospect. The backlash towards the comments was swift, as even Robert Griffin III took a dig at Orlovsky.
Simpson conducted his pro day at Alabama and impressed those in attendance. Mendoza is currently the best quarterback on PFSN’s Big Board and the fifth overall prospect in this year’s draft class.
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On the other hand, Simpson landed as the No. 2 quarterback. According to PFSN’s CFB QB Impact Metric, the former Alabama star finished as the 25th-ranked quarterback in college football last season with an impact score of 85.4.
The 2026 NFL Draft starts on April 23 at 8 p.m. PFSN will host a live edition of the Football Debate Club show.
