Ty Simpson is one of the more intriguing prospects in this year’s NFL Draft class.
Amid a quarterback class where Fernando Mendoza is the only lock to be chosen in the first round, Simpson has generated significant buzz as a potential QB2, and the most likely passer to join Mendoza in hearing his name called by Roger Goodell on Thursday night of the NFL Draft.
NFL Draft 2026: Could Ty Simpson be target of blockbuster trade?
Cleveland Browns Ty Simpson
Alabama’s Ty Simpson (15) rushes in the second half of the College Football Playoff game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) and the Alabama Crimson Tide at the Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Okla., Friday Dec. 19, 2025.
Over at ESPN, NFL analyst Ben Solak put together a list of the best fits for every quarterback in the 2026 NFL Draft class, including Simpson surging into the first round after a blockbuster trade by the Arizona Cardinals to slide into the Patriots’ No. 31 overall selection.
“Simpson does show the blend of anticipation and decision-making,” Solak writes of Simpson, for ESPN. “To be the point guard in the modern iteration of the Shanahan/McVay scheme. The Cardinals’ pass catchers might not be ready to run it, as they need better secondary options to emerge behind Trey McBride and Michael Wilson (looking at you, Marvin Harrison Jr.). LaFleur, who struggled to get development from Zach Wilson when in New York, might not have all the answers for Simpson. But it’s easier than ever to get functional play out of rookie-contract quarterbacks in the league, and Simpson has more than enough talent to clear that bar.
“Once the Cardinals have a rookie-contract starter, they can start the long process of spending their way into contention with the Seahawks, Rams and 49ers with whom they share their division. Taking the leap on Simpson is the first step.”
Arizona could be the ultimate soft landing for Simpson.
Given the personnel in place already that Simpson could develop alongside of, in a quarterback-friendly system under head coach Mike LaFleur, the Cardinals could give him a legitimate chance to succeed Kyler Murray as Arizona’s franchise quarterback, without the pressure to win now, as the rebuild gets underway in the desert.