NFL draft season is in full swing, which means there is a lot of different opinions regarding which prospects should go where.
While the expectation is that Fernando Mendoza will go No. 1 overall to the Las Vegas Raiders, not everyone believes Mendoza is the top quarterback in the class.
ESPN's Dan Orlovsky is one analyst who thinks Alabama's Ty Simpson should be considered a better prospect than Mendoza, which has led to some controversy. Fans who believe Mendoza is the clear-cut top quarterback available are now arguing that Orlovsky isn't being completely honest with his analysis.
Here's a breakdown of Orlovsky's evaluation of Simpson and the surrounding controversy.
MORE: TSN's Vinnie Iyer's post-Combine mock draft
Dan Orlovsky-Ty Simpson controversy, explained
While most NFL analysts believe Fernando Mendoza is the best quarterback in the 2026 draft, Dan Orlovsky disagrees. The ESPN analyst believes that Ty Simpson is the best quarterback in this year's class, going against the grain from most other draft evaluations.
Orlovsky has been so staunch in his defense of Simpson that it has confused many fans online, who now believe that Orlovsky's evaluation isn't honest. Instead, these fans believe that Orlovsky is defending Simpson because the analyst has the same agent as the Alabama prospect and a different agent than Mendoza.
Dan Orlovsky - CAA
Ty Simpson - CAA
Fernando Mendoza - Excel Sports Managment
🧐🧐🧐 https://t.co/Sm9QXY8JAk pic.twitter.com/534fYXj580
— ATLNiner (Life is pain football sucks) (@PapaStew80) March 23, 2026
Orlovsky went on the Pat McAfee Show and vehemently denied that CAA was forcing him to hype up Simpson.
"The agents work for us, not the other way around," Orlovsky said. "They're employed by us, respectfully, that's how the business model is. CAA is a very big agency, they have a lot of people...I'm not nearly important enough to CAA financially for them to pay me to say something about a guy who might be the 20th pick in the draft."
"People can think what they want 😂😂
There's no ulterior motive behind this"@danorlovsky7 #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/yzNGXbqeX1
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) March 24, 2026
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What did Dan Orlovsky say about Ty Simpson?
Dan Orlovsky has Ty Simpson as the best quarterback in the class of 2026 even though most evaluators have Mendoza in that spot. Orlovsky watched taped of both of them before coming to this conclusion.
Orlovsky believes that Simpson had to carry the Alabama offense more than Mendoza had to with the Indiana offense, which is part of his evaluation.
"I think when we look at the body of work and what was asked of these two quarterbacks, you have to start with the question, 'Who needed to do more to carry their football team to play well?' Ty Simpson, and it's not close between those two quarterbacks," he said." Who took more games over throughout the course of the season? Ty Simpson, and it's not even close."
“I think Ty Simpson is the best quarterback in this class.”
—@danorlovsky7 makes a strong claim ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/Kgj0Z9Rgtc
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) March 23, 2026
Orlovsky then went into depth on what Simpson does better than Mendoza, including being more stoic in pressure situations and making more "NFL" throws.
"What do you do in moments of panic with the football? Because that's really what separates good to great. I would tell you that Ty Simpson is more consistent in that regard. There's not a ton of moments of panic out of Fernando Mendoza, and then there's moments where he immediately drops his eyes and becomes a runner," he said. "What guy was asked to do more NFL throws?...Ty Simpson, and it's not even close in that regard."
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Who is Dan Orlovsky's agent?
Orlovsky is represented by the Creative Arts Agency, which also represents many college and NFL players and coaches. CAA has its hands in many different sports industries, so it's not a surprise that the company has one of the top NFL analysts as its client.
Who is Ty Simpson's agent?
Ty Simpson is also represented by CAA, as he signed with the agency just before the NFL Combine.
CAA client list
CAA has a large client list in the NFL, which includes many of the best players in the league. Here's a look at some of CAA biggest clients, per Spotrac:
Josh Allen
Dak Prescott
Matthew Stafford
Drake Maye
Sam Darnold
Bryce Young
Bo Nix
T.J. Watt
CeeDee Lamb
A.J. Brown
Patrick Surtain II
Saquon Barkley
MORE:Updated list of picks for 2026 NFL Draft
Ty Simpson vs. Fernando Mendoza stats
Fernando Mendoza Ty Simpson
Completion percentage 72% 64.5%
Touchdowns 41 28
Interceptions 6 5
Passing yards 3,535 3,567
Yards per attempt 9.3 7.5
Passer rating 182.9 145.2
Simpson and Mendoza were two of the best quarterbacks in college last year, but Mendoza ended the season on a better note to win both the Heisman Trophy and the National Championship. Mendoza bested Simpson in touchdowns by 13 scores, and he had a passer rating that was better by over 35 points.
Ty Simpson vs. Fernando Mendoza head-to-head
Fernando Mendoza Ty Simpson
Completions/Attempts 14/16 11/16
Completion percentage 87.5% 75%
Touchdowns 3 0
Interceptions 0 0
Passing yards 192 67
Yards per attempt 15.8 4.2
Passer rating 250.2 110.2
Mendoza and Indiana dominated Simpson and Alabama in the Rose Bowl, as the Hoosiers beat the Crimson Tide 38-3. Mendoza was incredibly efficient in that game, throwing three touchdowns while producing just two incomplete passes, as the game was over by halftime.
Simpson, meanwhile, struggled and clearly battled an injury with Indiana getting to the quarterback. In the second half, Alabama benched Simpson with the game out of hand, limiting the quarterback to just 16 passes in the game.