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Potential Dolphins Quarterback Would be a ‘Panic Move’ Says Analyst

Miami Dolphins

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The Miami Dolphins have been urged against going after Ty Simpson

The Miami Dolphins are in search of a new quarterback ahead of the 2026 NFL season. The team isexpected to release former quarterback Tua Tagovailoa if a trade partner is not found. The Dolphins could opt to go with Quinn Ewers, who started the final three games of the season for the team, but the expectation is the team will add a quarterback in either free agency or the draft.

This year’s draft will be the first for Jon-Eric Sullivan as the team’s general manager. With the No. 11 pick, the Miami Dolphins have their highest selection since the 2021 draft, where they drafted wide receiver Jaylen Waddle with the sixth overall pick. The Dolphins have not drafted a quarterback in the first round since drafting Tagovailoa with the fifth overall pick in 2020.

Now, an analyst is urging them to avoid using that draft pick to select another Alabama quarterback.

Miami Dolphins Urged to Avoid Selecting Ty Simpson With No. 11 pick

The consensus No. 1 quarterback in this year’s draft class is Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza, who is projected to be drafted by the Las Vegas Raiders with the first overall pick. After that, Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson is deemed to be the second best quarterback in this year’s draft. However,Sports Illustrated writer Dante Collinelli says the Dolphins using their first selection on Simpson would be a “panic move.”

He wrote, “you have the profile of a slightly undersized quarterback with average arm talent, just 15 career starts, and highly inconsistent tape. That’s not the profile of a quarterback who should go in the first round, let alone at pick 11. There’s enough on film to believe in Simpson as a mid-round selection — those first eight games looked quite good.

But Miami taking him at 11 would be a total panic move. New GM Jon-Eric Sullivan has spoken at length about building this team from the inside out and not rushing things.

Taking Simpson at 11 would be drafting a quarterback just for the sake of doing it. The Dolphins simply can’t afford to make decisions like that this offseason.”

Ty Simpson Prospect Profile

Collinelli did note that there were some things to like about Simpson’s game. He said, “Simpson played well during the first eight weeks of the season. The Alabama passer threw for 18 touchdowns, one interception, and 1,931 passing yards with an EPA per dropback of 0.39. On tape, Simpson was reading out NFL-level concepts, making adjustments at the line, and hitting tight window throws.”

NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah ranked Simpson as his 40th best prospect in the NFL draft. He wrote of Simpson, “Simpson is a slightly undersized quarterback with sound mechanics, touch and accuracy. He primarily operated out of the shotgun at Alabama. He has quick feet in his setup and marries his feet with his eyes to stay on platform as a passer. He has a compact delivery and enough arm strength to make all the throws. He does have some issues when the pocket collapses, as he gets sped up and the ball can take off down the field. He is a good athlete and throws well on designed boots and roll-outs. His play tailed off at the end of the 2025 season while he battled a couple different injuries which limited practice time, according to sources at the school. His limited number of starts (15, all in this past season) is also a concern. Overall, Simpson has the skill set to develop into a functional NFL starter, but it might require some patience.”

Simpson and Mendoza were the only two quarterbacks to crack Jeremiah’s top 50 prospects.

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