Ty Simpson
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ESPN's Brooke Pryor reported the Pittsburgh Steelers have "closely watched" Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson.
The potential plan for the Pittsburgh Steelers at quarterback has been a little bit all over the place this offseason. As far as the draft goes, one possibility keeps reoccurring in some mock drafts — Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson.
Some pundits don’t see the fit while others strongly do. ESPN’s
Field Yates is firmly in the latter group. His colleague at The Worldwide Leader in Sports, Brooke Pryor, explained why Saturday.
“The Steelers did their homework on the 2026 quarterback class throughout the 2025 college football season, but the group is undeniably thin. ESPN draft analyst Matt Miller has just one quarterback with a first-round draft grade: Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza, who is all but a lock to be selected No. 1 by the Las Vegas Raiders,” wrote Pryor.
“In his latest mock draft, ESPN’s Field Yates has the Steelers using their No. 21 pick on Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson. The Steelers have closely watched Simpson, who threw for 3,567 yards, 28 touchdowns and five interceptions in his lone season as a full-time starter for the Crimson Tide.”
As Pryor indicated, Simpson posted pretty strong numbers overall. But he significantly struggled in the biggest games of the 2025 season.
Concerns About Alabama QB Ty Simpson
The Steelers doing “their homework” on the 2026 quarterback class isn’t exactly news. Not when the team hasn’t started the same quarterback in Week 1 of back-to-back seasons since 2020-21. Especially not when 42-year-old Aaron Rodgers started for the Steelers during 2025.
Simpson is one of the top quarterback options in the 2026 class. So, it’s unsurprising he was a college signal-caller the Steelers studied.
But by no means does that indicate there’s serious interest.
If the Steelers pass on Simpson at No. 21 overall should he be on the board, it will likely be in part because of his big game performances. In the SEC Championship Game, he completed 48.7% of his passes, averaging 5.4 yards per attempt.
Granted, that was against Georgia’s defense, but versus Auburn the prior week, he posted 3.5 yards per pass.
During the College Football Playoffs against Indiana, Simpson completed 12 of 16 passes but for only 67 yards. Indiana’s defense completely smothered Simpson and the Crimson Tide.
“While there is an upside to Simpson, he also struggled with decision-making late in the season,” wrote Pryor.
Why the Steelers Could Still Target Simpson
Early in January (before the season even ended), Simpson was a popular choice for the Steelers in mock drafts. That narrative has died some as Rodgers rumors and quarterback trade speculation has ramped up around Pittsburgh.
With Mason Rudolph and Will Howard already in the building, it probably makes more sense to bring back Rodgers if he wants to play. Signing or trading for a reclamation project such as Tua Tagovailoa, Kyler Murray or Anthony Richardson are intriguing ideas as well.
Those veterans could be stop gaps if Howard develops into a competent starting quarterback. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported Steelers new head coach Mike McCarthy is intrigued by Howard’s potential.
However, if that’s lip service, and the Steelers brass prefers to develop a new rookie instead of testing free agency again, Simpson is the most likely option.
The quarterback’s defenders have pointed to the fact Simpson played through a multitude of injuries last season.
That throw another factor into the quarterback equation for the Steelers. All of Simpson’s injuries could have led to his poor play at the end of the campaign.
“Perhaps the injury is a reasonable excuse, and the first half of the season is the real Ty Simpson,” wrote Steelers Depot’s Ross McCorkle.
“Coincidentally, the Steelers had scouts in attendance at that South Carolina game. They also had scouts on-site for Florida State, Missori, and Auburn. At those four games, Simpson combined for 829 yards, 10 TDs and 0 INTs. There’s a good chance that left an impression.”