Adam Schefter 'Confident' Alabama's Ty Simpson Will Be 1st-Round Pick in 2026 NFL Draft

There's little doubt that Fernando Mendoza will be the top overall pick in this year's draft, but there are questions about whether any other quarterbacks will be selected in the first round of April's draft.

ESPN's Adam Schefter believes that Alabama's Ty Simpson will make the cut:

ESPN's Dan Orlovsky went out on a limb, meanwhile, and said he believes Simpson is the best quarterback prospect in this draft:

"I think when you look at the body of work, and what was asked of these two quarterbacks, you have to start with the question—who needed to do more to carry their football team to play well?" he continued. "Simpson did, and it's not close between those two quarterbacks. Who took more games over throughout the course of the season? Simpson, it's not even close."

That's obviously debatable, but Simpson had a strong 2025 season, throwing for 3,567 yards, 28 touchdowns and five interceptions while completing 64.5 percent of his passes.

The B/R NFL Draft Scouting Department didn't have Simpson going off the board in its most recent first-round mock draft, so not everybody is sold on its upside. But buzz is growing that he could be off the board on day one.