Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Ty Simpson will be the second-best passer within the 2026 NFL Draft, however that does not imply he’ll be a first-rounder.
Simpson’s possibilities of listening to his identify known as on Day 1 of the draft (scheduled April 23-25 in Pittsburgh) are dwindling. Many have linked the Alabama star to the Pittsburgh Steelers, who’ve decide No. 21 within the first spherical. The Ringer’s Todd McShay, nevertheless, reported the AFC North membership is not eyeing the QB.
Todd McShay experiences Steelers may draft Carson Beck as an alternative of Ty Simpson
“The query is who’s their quarterback,” McShay said Monday on his podcast. “… It isn’t Ty Simpson at (total decide) 21. I can inform you that for a truth. I’ve heard them linked with [Miami Hurricanes QB] Carson Beck, in order that’s simply one thing to keep watch over…I believe Spherical 3 may most likely be the vary [when Pittsburgh could grab Beck].”
Whether or not QB Aaron Rodgers returns will form the Steelers’ draft plans. However the report reveals they don’t seem to be tremendous excessive on Simpson, together with many different scouts.
A number of scouts do not view Ty Simpson as a first-rounder
NFL Media’s Daniel Jeremiah printed his third mock draft on Tuesday, during which no staff chosen Simpson within the first spherical. The Athletic’s Ted Nguyen would agree with that alternative.
“Based mostly on the components I’ve outlined, I see him as extra of a third-round decide who will get pushed up into the second spherical due to a weak total class,” Nguyen wrote in a movie overview printed March 13.
Simpson (6-foot-1, 211 kilos) fails to test all of the bins for a lot of scouts. He lacks prototypical measurement for an NFL QB and elite arm expertise.
Per Sports Info Solutions, Simpson’s common depth of goal — how far downfield a QB is throwing on all cross makes an attempt — was 8.2 in 2025, sixth among the many 12 QBs listed within the web site’s draft matrix. Now, let’s evaluate him to Indiana Hoosiers QB Fernando Mendoza, the presumptive No. 1 decide. The 6-foot-5, 236-pounder’s aDOT was 9.1, the third-best mark within the crop.
Positional worth may persuade a staff to achieve on Simpson, who tied for twelfth within the FBS in landing passes (28) final season. The final time only one QB was chosen in Spherical 1 was through the 2022 draft when the Steelers grabbed QB Kenny Pickett with decide No. 20. That did not work out for Pittsburgh, which traded the QB to the Philadelphia Eagles after two seasons with the membership.
Even so, it is starting to appear like the 2026 draft might unfold equally to 2022. Simpson would not look like on a first-round trajectory within the weeks main as much as the occasion.
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