There’s a glaring need for a franchise quarterback in Pittsburgh, and while the 2026 NFL Draft class doesn’t look as promising as it once did at the position, the Steelers have done their due diligence on the position and had a number of meetings with some of the top names at Combine.
That includes Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson, whom Pro Football Focus’ Trevor Sikkema paired with the Steelers in his latest mock draft.
Despite the likes of Arizona State wide receiver Jordyn Tyson, Washington wide receiver Denzel Boston and Indiana wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. available, not to mention Penn State guard Vega Ioane and Ohio State defensive tackle Kayden McDonald, Sikkema addressed QB for the Steelers.
“Simpson went through the on-field throwing sessions, despite not doing athletic testing, and I was impressed,” Sikkema writes. “It’s not the biggest part of a quarterback’s evaluation, but for him to be in a new setting with new receivers and look as accurate as he did — specifically when throwing the deep ball — was fun to watch.
“I think he’s in the mid-to-late first-round range.”
Simpson had a strong showing at the Combine, participating in on-field drills, throwing to new receivers and looking good in the process. He also declared himself a franchise quarterback in his media session and raved about his meeting with the Steelers.
There are plenty of questions surrounding Simpson regarding his 15 starts at the collegiate level, and the drop-off in his play last season after a hot start. Some of that could be attributed to an illness he was dealing with, causing him to lose a bunch of weight during the season. It could also do with Simpson not having much talent around him, particularly along the offensive line. He didn’t have a run game to help take pressure off him, either.
But the real hold-up for many draft evaluators seems to be the limited experience with 15 starts. It puts Simpson in the same conversation as guys like Anthony Richardson and Mitchell Trubisky as one-year college starters who became first-round picks.
Those guys have obviously struggled in the NFL, and Trubisky is now a backup in Buffalo while Richardson is on the trade block.
Simpson pushed back on that at the Combine while also citing the fact he played in 16 games prior to starting, too.
But the numbers don’t bode well from a historical perspective. Despite that, there’s a good chance he will hear his name called in the first round. It could be by the Steelers and first-year head coach Mike McCarthy after the Steelers scouted Simpson heavily during the season and then had a formal meeting with him at the Combine.
“Coach McCarthy’s the guy, man,” Simpson said reporters in Indianapolis, including Steelers Depot’s Ross McCorkle. “It was funny, we’d go in there, ask a couple questions. Just talking ball. Going back and forth, talking about pass concepts, talking about protections, talking about situations.
“It was cool to see all the quarterbacks he’s worked with. Dak [Prescott] and Aaron Rodgers. And then situations that’s come up in his career that they asked me what I thought about it. It was really cool ’cause we were just going back and forth. By the time that we were finished it felt like five minutes just ’cause of how much fun we had. I love Coach McCarthy. I love the Steelers.”
We’ll see if the Steelers love Simpson enough to make him a first-round pick.
Sikkema sees it happening in his latest mock draft, as do many other draft analysts. Chances are, the Steelers will bring Simpson in for an official pre-draft visit, too, which will speed up the hype train regarding the pairing.
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