Mel Kiper throws cold water on Ty Simpson over Fernando Mendoza discussion
ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky raised eyebrows March 23. Surprisingly, he suggested presumed No. 1 draft pick Fernando Mendoza is not the best quarterback in the upcoming NFL draft.
“I think Ty Simpson is QB1,” Orlovsky, a former NFL quarterback, said. “I think Ty Simpson is the best quarterback in this draft. ” MORE: Top CB prospect in 2026 NFL Draft wow scouts with speed, agility at LSU pro day Additionally, Orlovsky said the former Alabama Crimson Tide signal-caller reminds him of San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy.
Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Ty Simpson (15) runs against Indiana Hoosiers linebacker Rolijah Hardy (21) in the Rose Bowl. | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images Meanwhile, another ESPN NFL analyst, former GM Mike Tannenbaum, backed up Orlovsky, posting on his X account, “In talking to clubs this opinion is shared by other teams as well.
” On the March 24 episode of ESPN’s “Get Up,” host Mike Greenberg asked veteran draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. to weigh in on the debate. As a result, Kiper scoffed at the notion Simpson is a better prospect than Mendoza, the Indiana Hoosiers quarterback expected to go No.
1 to the Las Vegas Raiders. “Yeah, that’s not shared by anybody I’ve spoken to,” Kiper said, per the show’s X account . “Fernando Mendoza is [No.