Latest Fernando Mendoza, Ty Simpson NFL Combine Participation Rumors Ahead of 2026 Draft

Scouts will reportedly only get to see one of the projected top two quarterbacks in the 2026 NFL Draft throw during next week's scouting combine.

Indiana's Fernando Mendoza is not expected to throw at the combine, while Alabama's Ty Simpson plans to participate, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter and NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.

Schefter noted that Mendoza plans to throw during Indiana's pro day on April 1.

Mendoza is projected to go to the Las Vegas Raiders with the No. 1 pick in Bleacher Report's latest mock draft.

Simpson, who is projected by B/R to be selected outside the first round, is ranked as the No. 2 quarterback prospect on Bleacher Report's big board.

The NFL combine will take place from Feb. 23 to March 2 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

Simpson could be looking to boost his draft stock now that Dante Moore's return to Oregon made him the consensus No. 2 quarterback available in the upcoming draft.

NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah said on a Thursday conference call with reporters he felt Simpson "probably has the most at stake between where we are today and when we get to the draft."

Jeremiah indicated that some teams have questions about Simpson due to his relative lack of college starts. Simpson made 15 starts over four seasons with Alabama.

He also struggled down the stretch of his last college season while dealing with health issues including a recurrent lower back injury, gastritis that led to significant weight loss and elbow bursitis, per Colin Gay of the Tuscaloosa News.

"Just, is someone who I think most teams will have as the second quarterback. It's not really so much, 'Is he No. 2?' It's just, how high of a pick is he worthy of?" Jeremiah said Thursday. "Is he worthy of a first-round pick?

"And when you have the limited number of starts that he has, teams are going to have to get comfortable with that. And one of the ways they can do that is by, A, watching him move around and throw, and getting a better feel for his physical skillset. And then, probably more importantly, just meeting with him and seeing how he understands the game."

Multiple teams selecting behind the Raiders this spring, including the New York Jets, Arizona Cardinals and Cleveland Browns in the top six, could decide to target a quarterback in the upcoming draft.

How Simpson performs during the combine could influence whether a franchise with positional need ends up making him a first-round pick this April in Pittsburgh.