In the 2025 NFL draft, Shedeur Sanders became the dominant story at quarterback, falling all the way to the fifth round, roughly 140 spots lower than a lot of projections. In the 2026 NFL draft, the most likely candidate for a "mystery quarterback," someone whose position is either hard to pin down or who could fall a lot, is Ty Simpson of Alabama. Let's discuss this intriguing prospect and what NFL teams should do with him:
Ty Simpson was clearly not 100-percent healthy late last season at Alabama. That undeniably hampered his performance. It will be the main reason some experts think NFL teams should be willing to take a chance on Simpson late in the first round ... and maybe one team will. That has to be acknowledged in the larger conversation surrounding the Alabama signal-caller.
Simpson made some impressive plays in the early and middle portions of the 2025 college football season at Alabama, and the win at Georgia was a highlight of Simpson's season. However, as we saw in two games against Ole Miss and in other games from last season, Georgia's defense was nowhere close to the typical or expected Kirby Smart standard. Ty Simpson didn't beat the 2021 UGA defense; he beat the 2025 defense. There's a Grand Canyon-sized gap between those two units.
Alabama beat Oklahoma in the College Football Playoff (more on that later), but it lost to the Sooners in Tuscaloosa. Simpson was going up against a very limited OU offense. His main task was to not turn the ball over. He couldn't do it. That game could be a preview of what Simpson's NFL reality will look like, even when accounting for injuries that limited Simpson's effectiveness. That was a time for a quarterback to be a responsible game manager and let his defense win the game. Simpson couldn't do it. That game should set off alarm bells for NFL teams.
When Alabama beat Oklahoma in the rematch between the two teams in the CFP, it's not as though Simpson played great. That result, and Alabama's comeback from a double-digit deficit, were products of the mistakes made by the other quarterback in that game, OU's John Mateer. That game was not a showcase for Simpson, but an affirmation of how mediocre Oklahoma's offense was.
Michael Penix was an electric talent under Kalen DeBoer, someone who -- at the collegiate level -- maximized his potential. Ty Simpson didn't come especially close to the Penix standard ... and here's the thing: Penix isn't even doing all that well in the NFL, anyway. What is there to recommend Ty Simpson as a first-round pick?
Jaxson Dart felt like a reach for the New York Giants at No. 25 in the 2025 NFL draft. Yet, to be fair, he showed a lot of promise this past season and does not look like a bust. The key point about Dart, though, is that he can make plays with his legs. Ty Simpson doesn't have Dart's running ability. It's another reason why NFL teams should stay away from Simpson in the first round. Get him for more value later.
This NFL draft quarterback class is noticeably thin and weak to begin with. It's just not a year for quarterbacks. Teams in need of a starter or quality backup should trade down to get more picks, rather than taking a chance on Ty Simpson.
The other part of the equation is that next year's quarterback class should be deep and talented. NFL teams should wait one year to find the guy they want. They should have a lot of compelling options in 2027. They don't have to reach for Ty Simpson in the first round.
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This article originally appeared on College Sports Wire: NFL Draft: Ty Simpson shouldn't be a 1st round pick