2026 NFL draft QB rankings
2. Ty Simpson, Alabama
Height: 6-foot-1 | Weight: 211 pounds
Class: Redshirt junior | Projected range: Late Round 1, Early Day 2
Best team fit: Arizona Cardinals
Where he excels: After a rough Week 1 performance, Simpson had a hot streak during the middle of his only season as a starter. During an eight-game stretch that included four top-16 ranked opponents (Georgia, Vanderbilt, Missouri and Tennessee), Simpson threw for 1,954 passing yards, 19 touchdowns and only one interception while completing 71.9% of his passes. Simpson showed that he's a calm passer with slightly above average arm strength and that there isn't much that fazes him in the pocket.
There isn't a throw that Simpson feels that he's incapable of making, as his toughness and confidence shined in spurts. The son of longtime UT-Martin head coach Jason Simpson, Ty's football smarts and awareness are easy to see. Simpson was given a lot of pre-snap autonomy and was frequently seen altering protections and plays. His recognition of defenses is well beyond a typical QB prospect with 15 career starts.
Simpson is an underrated athlete whose pocket maneuverability is among the best of any passer in this year's class. He also can make plays outside of structure. Of his 30 total touchdowns last season (28 passing, two rushing), seven came when Simpson was outside of the pocket. He's savvy with recognizing and adjusting to pre-snap looks.
Simpson elected to throw at the combine and helped himself after a disappointing finish to last season. He displayed good zip on passes in the intermediate areas, but what really stood out was his touch on deeper throws down the field.
"I wouldn't draft him until Day 2, but I think he has a chance to go in that 20-32 range," an AFC area scout said. "It's because the demand will highly outweigh the quality of supply in this year's class."
Where he needs work: Simpson sometimes doesn't recognize when a play is over. He tends to hold the ball longer than necessary and run around in circles in the pocket while trying to extend plays that are clearly busted. Therefore, he loses yardage with negative plays that could have been avoided by checking down, running or tossing the ball out of bounds.
Simpson's accuracy suffered down the stretch, resulting in an 11.2% off-target percentage that ranked 63rd in the FBS. And despite his combine long-ball prowess, Simpson completed only 37.3% of his passes of 20 or more air yards in 2025.
Simpson's lack of starts are also a concern. Many scouts remain cautious due to that small sample size.