Draft-Week Buzz
- 2026-04-16 [Browns visit] — Cleveland brought him in for second top-30 visit; #6 overall lock if Mendoza goes #1
- 2026-04-09 [Pro Day] — Completed 55 of 60 throws at Bama; velocity confirmed
- 2026-03-28 [Steelers interest] — PIT beat reported private workout in Tuscaloosa — trade-up scenario to #21 live
Buzz items pulled from beat-writer reports, ESPN/NFL.com transactions, Pro Day recaps, and verified Top 30 visit reports in the 30 days leading into the 2026 NFL Draft. Each linked headline goes to the original source. See our full draft-week news tab for cross-prospect timeline.
Born December 21, 2002 in Martin, Tennessee. Father Jason Simpson has been the
head coach at UT-Martin (FCS) since 2006, giving Ty a football-family upbringing.
HIGH SCHOOL: Westview HS in Martin, TN. As a junior, passed for 1,888 yards + 20 TDs and
rushed for 311 yards + 7 TDs. As a senior, 2,827 passing yards, 41 TDs, just 3 INTs, plus 862
rushing yards and 11 TDs — Westview won the Tennessee 2A State Championship. Named 2021
Tennessee Gatorade Player of the Year. Rated a five-star recruit, #27 overall in the 2022
class.
COLLEGE: Four years at Alabama. Chose Bama over Clemson, Ole Miss, and Tennessee. Backed up
Bryce Young, Jalen Milroe. With Milroe declaring for 2025, Simpson took over as Alabama's
full-time starter in 2025 under second-year HC Kalen DeBoer. Steady debut season — ran an
up-tempo spread with good protection and accurate short-to-intermediate throws.
DRAFT PROJECTION: Round 1, picks 20-40. QB2 in the class behind Mendoza. Cleveland (#6) is
the realistic floor; a QB-desperate team trading up for him in the 20s is a real scenario.
Key question: franchise QB ceiling or high-end backup? The tape shows poise — scouts split
on whether the arm talent plays up outside.
Scouting Profile
Combine / Pro Day Measurables (reported)
| 40-yard dash | 4.62 |
| Vertical jump (in) | 33.5 |
| Broad jump | 9'9" |
| Bench press (225 reps) | N/A |
| 3-cone drill | 7.05 |
| 20-yard shuttle | 4.25 |
| Wingspan | 75.0" |
| Hand size | 9 1/2" |
Numbers compiled from NFL Scouting Combine results, Pro Day box scores, and beat-writer reports. "Reported" means cross-referenced against multiple sources; verify on nfl.com/combine for definitive marks.
College Career Stats
- 2022-24 Alabama: backup behind Bryce Young and Jalen Milroe; 110 career attempts in mop-up duty
- 2025 Alabama (Sr): 1st year as full starter — 3,182 yds, 26 TD, 7 INT, 65.8% — Maxwell semifinalist
Strengths
- Strong arm — drives outs and 9-routes with velocity
- Athletic enough to extend plays and make off-platform throws
- Pre-snap operator — Bama's offense gave him pro-style protection calls
- Tough — stood in vs SEC pass rushes without panic
- 5-star pedigree finally lived up to the hype
Weaknesses / Areas to Develop
- Mechanics drift — base widens late in games
- Decision-making — forced 3 INTs vs Auburn that should have been throwaways
- Only 1 full year of starter snaps
NFL Pro Comparison
Justin Herbert (lower-end variant) — strong-armed, athletic pocket passer with pre-snap acumen but processing/decision questions
Mock-Draft Consensus
| ESPN (Jordan Reid) | PFF Big Board | Jeremiah Top 50 | Consensus Avg | Realistic Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #50 | #42 | #38 | #43.3 | Picks 6-32 |
30-day trend: Rising with QB-hungry teams
Ranks cross-referenced from ESPN's Jordan Reid top-500, PFF's 2026 Big Board top-200, and Daniel Jeremiah's top-50 (NFL.com). Realistic draft-night range reflects projected team fit and trade scenarios, not just big-board placement.
Advanced Stats & Production
| 2025 PFF grade | 82.1 |
| Adj completion % | 70.3% |
| Yards per attempt | 8.4 |
| Big-time throw rate | 4.9% |
| Turnover-worthy play rate | 2.9% |
Metrics blended from PFF grade sheets, school box scores, and Combine/Pro Day box scores. Position-specific: QB shows efficiency + turnover rates, WR/TE show route-running + contested-catch, OL shows pass-block grade + pressures allowed, EDGE/IDL show pass-rush win rate + pressure rate, LB/DB show coverage grade + missed-tackle rate.
Outcome Range
- Floor: Multi-year backup with spot-start ceiling
- Median: 10-year starter; never quite franchise but reliable
- Ceiling: Pro Bowl franchise QB — Tua-tier production with more legs
Scheme Fit
Pro-style offense with RPO + play-action; ideal for a Kalen DeBoer / Lincoln Riley NFL system
Pre-Draft Visits
Top-30 visits with the Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, and New Orleans Saints
Signature College Game
2025 Iron Bowl vs Auburn: 350 yds, 4 TDs, game-winning drive in a 31-28 Bama win
Sources
Our scouting profile is assembled from these primary sources + cross-checked against ESPN (Kiper / Reid / Miller), PFF's 2026 Big Board, Dane Brugler's The Beast 2026, and Daniel Jeremiah's top-50. See our full methodology and citations.
Day 2 / Day 3 Team Fits
NFL teams that lost a same-position veteran this offseason — and could target Ty Simpson as a Day 2/3 replacement option.
- REPORTED Las Vegas Raiders: moved on from Geno Smith (pocket-QB).
Picks held: R1 #1; R2 #36 - REPORTED Arizona Cardinals: moved on from Kyler Murray (pocket-QB).
Picks held: R1 #3; R2 #34
Confidence: "VERIFIED" departures cite a publication URL (Spotrac, OverTheCap, ESPN, NFL.com, team transactions page) confirming the move and date. "REPORTED" entries come from public free-agency trackers without a single canonical source we could attach. Fits are archetype-and-position based; we are not claiming the team has expressed interest in the prospect.
NFL Scheme Fit
NFL Scheme Fit
- RPO / spread / movement-passer offense
Buffalo Bills · Philadelphia Eagles · Atlanta Falcons · Cincinnati Bengals
Scheme matches are bucketed from the prospect's height, weight, and (for WRs) archetype tag against a static lookup of which NFL teams currently run each scheme family.
Rookie Contract & Landing-Spot Outlook
Projected Rookie Contract Value
~$10.0M – $20.0M (4-year deal) · Pick range: #20-40 · ~100% guaranteed
Mid-pick band — guarantee % varies pick-to-pick
Best-Case / Worst-Case Landing Spot
Why: QB listed in their top-5 positional needs.
Year-1 arc: Day-1 starter window with cap-controlled rookie-contract production.
Why: QB not in their stated top-5 needs; runs a scheme that doesn't naturally amplify his profile.
Year-1 arc: Depth-chart competition + special-teams reps as Year-1 baseline.
Contract band uses the 2026 NFL CBA rookie wage scale projected from the prospect's expected pick range; guarantee % is the slot-default at that pick. Landing-spot best/worst case is derived from TEAMS data (positional needs + scheme overlap minus same-position R1 conflicts) — not a claim that either team has expressed interest.
By the Numbers — 2026 Class Context
- Frame: Among 2026 QB prospects, his 6-2 / 215 lbs frame sits at the 57th percentile in height and 67th percentile in weight.
- Position class: Ty Simpson is QB #2 of 30 ranked QBs in the 2026 class. Of those, 2 are projected in the R1 range.
- School pipeline: One of 8 Alabama prospects in the 2026 NFL Draft — but the only QB.
- Recruiting arc: A 5-star recruit projected R1 — draft stock tracks the recruiting profile.
Computed factually from the 2026 prospect class roster — height/weight percentiles benchmark this player against every other ranked prospect at the same position. Recruiting arc compares his high-school 247Sports/Rivals composite to his current projected round.
Ty Simpson’s NFL Archetype: Tua Tagovailoa
Tua Tagovailoa (Miami Dolphins)
Closest QB physical profile in the modern NFL: 6-2/215 lbs. Same frame, same role bucket — NOT a talent or career-arc projection.
Note: this is a physical-profile match — frame, position, role bucket. Not a talent or career-arc projection.
Similar Quarterback Prospects
Closest matches to Ty Simpson (6-2 / 215 lbs, #2 QB) by ranking proximity and physical profile. SIZE MATCH = within 1″ height and 10 lbs; TIER MATCH = within 2 ranking spots.
- Garrett NussmeierTIER MATCH LSU · 6-2/200 lbs · #3 QB · R2
- Carson Beck Miami (FL) · 6-4/220 lbs · #5 QB · R2-R3
- Cade Klubnik Clemson · 6-2/195 lbs · #6 QB · R3
- Fernando MendozaTIER MATCH Indiana · 6-5/225 lbs · #1 QB · R1 top 5
- Cole PaytonSIZE MATCH North Dakota State · 6-3/225 lbs · #7 QB · R3-R4
Alabama & The 2026 Class
More from Alabama
- Domani Jackson · CB #21 · R7-UDFA
- Parker Brailsford · IOL #23 · R5-R6
- Deontae Lawson · LB #8 · R3
- Justin Jefferson · LB #14 · R6-R7
- Kadyn Proctor · OT #4 · R1