This NFL Draft class is unique as it's seemingly one of the worst quarterback classes in a long time, in part because of the fact that NIL brought some interesting prospects like Dante Moore back to college. Fernando Mendoza sits alone as the clear top quarterback in the class, and after him a lot was left up in the air. The quarterback who has the best chance to crack the 1st Round is Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson.
When Ty Simpson declared for the NFL Draft, it was a controversial decision as he wasn't a guaranteed 1st Round Pick. Simpson had massive NIL deals reportedly on the table to transfer while he could've returned to Alabama. When Simpson declared, it seemed as if he had a guarantee to be a 1st Round Pick from a team.
After Ty Simpson's showing at the NFL Combine on Saturday, it may not matter where Simpson was projected to land.
Ty Simpson may have locked in his status as a 1st Round Pick
On Saturday at the NFL Combine, Fernando Mendoza sat out making it the Ty Simpson show. Coming into the draft, NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah wasn't high on Ty Simpson's potential as a prospect in this draft.
"I don’t see him as a top half of the first round, top-15 type pick."
— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) February 27, 2026
– @MoveTheSticks on Ty Simpson, and gives his evaluation of Fernando Mendoza. pic.twitter.com/0sG67qNpG7
On Saturday, Ty Simpson was throwing the ball so well deep that you could hear just how impressed Daniel Jeremiah was with Simpson as a passer.
.@AlabamaFTBL QB Ty Simpson is impressing @MoveTheSticks with this throwing session.
— NFL (@NFL) March 1, 2026
2026 NFL Combine on @nflnetwork
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/ae5FYdLsFz
Fernando Mendoza is clearly going 1st Overall, but now Ty Simpson is a player to watch as early as the Top 10 picks in the draft. Simpson clearly wasn't healthy down the stretch, and when teams look at him now, and how he started the season, it's easy to consider him as a player who could come off the board sooner than expected.
In this class, the Cardinals (3rd Overall), the Jets (2nd and 16th Overall), the Browns (6th and 24th Overall), Dolphins (11th Overall), Rams (13th and 29th Overall), Vikings (18th Overall), and Steelers (21st Overall) all could look to draft a quarterback. Simpson is clearly the 2nd best quarterback in this class, and now he's set up nicely to come off the board in the 1st Round.