New Ty Simpson Rumors on Growing 1st-Round Buzz In 2026 NFL Draft amid Cardinals Links

Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson is reportedly gaining first-round steam ahead of next week's 2026 NFL draft.

Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports reported Thursday that he has "started hearing Ty Simpson's name a little bit more in the first round," noting that he is the clear QB2 in the draft behind Indiana's Fernando Mendoza.

An anonymous quarterback evaluator suggested to Jones that a team may need to take Simpson in the first round if they want a legitimate shot at getting him, saying, "In a typical year I think you could get him in the second, but this year I think if you want him you better be willing to take him in the late first or he could be gone."

Jones also gathered some differing opinions regarding Simpson's NFL viability and how he stacks up next to Mendoza, who seems like a near certainty to go No. 1 overall to the Las Vegas Raiders.

An NFC personnel staffer told Jones, "From what I've watched of the QBs, I could see Ty is close to Fernando if you're focusing on the first half of the season and one guy's only positive stuff. But from the full-picture film, I don't know how you could say they're close."

However, another anonymous personnel man expressed their belief that the gap between Mendoza and Simpson isn't that wide, saying, "Mendoza is a better pro, but Mendoza going at 1 and Simpson at 35, is the gap that big? No. The dude is very competitive. Shows up in big moments. Smart. Has enough physical talent. He can move a little bit, throw, can make some plays. But he's not dynamic. He just has enough of everything."

Simpson only started for one season at Alabama, leading the Crimson Tide to an 11-4 record and a College Football Playoff berth last season.

He completed 64.5 percent of his passes for 3,567 yards, 28 touchdowns and five interceptions, although Simpson did struggle at times down the stretch, including throwing for only 67 yards and no touchdowns in a 38-3 loss to Indiana in the Rose Bowl.

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Recently, Simpson has been linked heavily to the Arizona Cardinals, who own the Nos. 3 and 34 overall picks in the 2026 NFL draft. In fact, ESPN's Adam Schefter linked Simpson to Arizona on Thursday:

On Wednesday, ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. and The Ringer's Todd McShay both projected the Cardinals to trade up from No. 34 in the second round to No. 30 in the first round with the Miami Dolphins in order to take Simpson.

Meanwhile, the B/R NFL Scouting Department predicted Arizona to trade up from No. 34 to No. 26 with the Buffalo Bills to select Simpson.

It has become exceedingly rare for multiple quarterbacks to not be taken in the first round. The most recent example of that was in 2022 when the Pittsburgh Steelers made Kenny Pickett the only first-round quarterback.

Mendoza is already a slam dunk, and if a second quarterback does come off the board in the first round of the 2026 NFL draft on April 23, all signs point toward it being Simpson.