The Cleveland Browns quarterback room is already a lightning rod for drama, but new head coach Todd Monken just cranked the volume to eleven. At the NFL Combine, Monken didn’t hold back when asked about Alabama signal-caller Ty Simpson.
"I like Ty a lot. Really good football player," Monken said. "His father was a Southern Miss alum, where I was head coach, so got to know him a little bit."
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That connection is more than just a trip down memory lane. After an up-and-down season in Tuscaloosa, Simpson has major believers in the scouting community. On 92.3 The Fan, draft analyst Todd McShay went to bat for Simpson’s 2025 tape: "He dealt with an OL that had their protections figured out, the run game was atrocious, his star WR just like disappeared. I would argue 9 games into the season Ty Simpson was the best QB in college football."
Former NFL QB Phil Simms echoed that praise, noting, "His pocket movement, his toughness, his ability to change plays at the line of scrimmage—he was doing things not a lot of college quarterbacks were asked to do."
The buzz is real, but the logistics are a headache. If Cleveland falls in love, do they burn the 24th overall pick on him, or pray he slides to Round 2? More importantly, what does a Simpson pick say about Shedeur Sanders’ future or the $230 million albatross that is Deshaun Watson?
Drafting Simpson would be a splash, but it might be the wrong one. The Browns are currently a roster of holes; between a crumbling offensive line and a receiving corps that lacks a true threat, using a premium pick on another "project" QB with question marks feels like a luxury Cleveland can't afford.
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