The 2026 NFL Draft quarterback debate picked up real heat on Thursday when ESPN analyst and former NFL quarterback Dan Orlovsky made a pointed claim about two of the draft’s most-watched prospects.
Orlovsky argued that Alabama redshirt junior Ty Simpson’s tape, specifically through his first eight games of the 2025 season, was notably stronger than that of Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner and widely projected number one overall pick.
Orlovsky made the comment on ESPN’s First Take, saying:
“Ty Simpson’s tape from Alabama, through the first eight games of the season, is significantly more impressive than Fernando Mendoza’s.”
Why Orlovsky’s eight-game window for Simpson tells a more specific story
“Ty Simpson’s tape from Alabama, through the first eight games of the season, is significantly more impressive than Fernando Mendoza’s” – Dan Orlovsky pic.twitter.com/78O9rTt14t
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) February 26, 2026
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Oct 18, 2025; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Ty Simpson (15) is interviewed after the game against the Tennessee Volunteers at Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Leong-Imagn Images
Through Alabama’s first eight games, Simpson completed nearly 68 percent of his passes with a 20-to-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio. During a dominant five-game stretch within that window, he completed over 76 percent of his passes for 285 yards per game with 14 touchdowns and just one interception, which earned him AP Midseason All-America first-team honors, edging Mendoza by a single vote.
Simpson’s accuracy and command inside an NFL-style offense drew early attention. Orlovsky had said on SportsCenter in October: “I see a first-round pick, and I see a Top-10 pick. No one is throwing it better than Ty Simpson right now.”
That version of Simpson is what Orlovsky is pointing to. Not the full season many watched. Not the collapse. Just those eight games.
Simpson finished the full year with 3,567 passing yards, 28 touchdowns, and just five interceptions, leading the SEC in passing yards. But he fell apart down the stretch.
In the SEC Championship, Georgia sacked him three times and held him to 19 of 39 for 212 yards, one touchdown, and one interception in a 28-7 loss. Alabama gained minus-3 rushing yards.
Mendoza’s Heisman season raises the question of where he stood early on
Fernando Mendoza's Dominant Finish Earns Mel Kiper's Ironclad No. 1 Ranking for 2026 NFL Draft
Fernando Mendoza’s Dominant Finish Earns Mel Kiper’s Ironclad No. 1 Ranking for 2026 NFL Draft (Imagn Image)
Mendoza, who transferred from California to Indiana, threw for 2,980 yards and a school-record 33 touchdowns in 2025, winning the Heisman Trophy and leading Indiana to a number one national ranking. His season built steadily, improving as opponents got tougher.
The Las Vegas Raiders hold the number one overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft and are widely expected to select Mendoza.
Orlovsky’s argument does not dispute Mendoza’s full body of work. It isolates a specific phase of the season where, on tape, Simpson was operating at an elite level.
NBC Sports’ first NFL mock draft has Simpson going to the Pittsburgh Steelers, citing his pre-snap intelligence and intermediate throwing as traits teams will pay for.
With the NFL Scouting Combine currently underway in Indianapolis, both quarterbacks are navigating the evaluation process differently, since Mendoza has opted to hold off on throwing until his April 1 Pro Day.