Ty Simpson stock update: Is Round 1 still in play for 2026's QB2?
Round 1 is still in play for Simpson.
Ty Simpson stock update: Is Round 1 still in play for 2026's QB2? originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
The debate for QB1 in the 2026 NFL Draft has long been over. It's Fernando Mendoza's world, we're all living in it, and in the weeks until April 23, there's no discussion about who the Las Vegas Raiders will be picking first overall. But time isn't always on sanity's side, and we often find ourselves getting bored of top prospects, convincing ourselves that the college season we just witnessed wasn't the evidence it ought to be.
Nowhere is this clearer than under center, where ESPN's Dan Orlovsky's recent take has flooded the airwaves. The idea that Ty Simpson is better than Mendoza isn't heresy -- differing opinions are fine -- but his defense fell short. The result has been a renewed buzz about the Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback and questions about his validity as a Round 1 quarterback.
Ty Simpson draft stock update Simpson won't carry a first-round grade on my board. I am troubled by a few weeks/plays inflating his stock and propelling a passer who isn't the strongest, fastest, most accurate, or most turnover-averse. Simpson doesn't have standout tools, and first-round hype is largely based on his (potentially) alien-level trait to operate under pressure.