The sudden Fernando Mendoza-Ty Simpson debate helped fuel the take machine
The NFL news cycle has slipped into the lull between free agency and the draft. Which creates an opening — and a need — for someone to fuel the never-ending take machine. Enter ESPN's Dan Orlovsky.
On Monday, he debuted his opinion that former Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson is the best quarterback in the 2026 draft class . Better than former Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza, the presumptive No. 1 overall pick.
And it went from there. As it often does. The take machine abhors a vacuum.
The ESPN studio shows, radio shows, and podcasts have many, many hours to fill. And nothing delivers full segments of content than an opinion that cuts against the grain. In August 2013, ESPN's Ron Jaworski declared that Colin Kaepernick " could be one of the greatest quarterbacks ever .
" It fed the ESPN take machine for days . Is Orlovsky right on Simpson vs. Mendoza?