Why Quarterback Ty Simpson is an Intriguing NFL Prospect

Ty Simpson is one of the quarterbacks traveling to Pittsburgh, hoping to be drafted in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft on Thursday night. He would become the fourth Alabama quarterback taken in the first round since 2020.

In his lone season as the Alabama starting quarterback, Simpson completed 64 percent of his passes for 3567 yards and 28 touchdowns with just five interceptions. He also had two rushing touchdowns.

Here are five things to know about Simpson that make him an intriguing NFL prospect for those teams looking to draft a quarterback in 2026.

Waited his turn

The No. 1 overall pick in seven of the last eight NFL drafts has been a quarterback. Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza is projected to be the first pick this year, and if he is chosen in the first spot, six of those nine quarterbacks finished their college career in a different place than they started it. (Trevor Lawrence and Bryce Young are the exceptions.)

Simpson's college journey is rare, especially for a highly-rated quarterback. He stayed at Alabama for four seasons, waiting three years behind Bryce Young and Jalen Milroe. Instead of transferring out for a more immediate opportunity, he stuck to his original commitment (even through a coaching change) until he earned the starting spot for the Crimson Tide.

He had another decision to face after Alabama's season ended. Simpson reportedly turned down millions of dollars from other collegiate programs to enter the portal and instead decided to pursue his dream of entering the NFL.

Toughness

Injury-prone players are a concern for any NFL team, but Simpson played through most of his injuries until a cracked rib finally took him down in the Crimson Tide's season-ending loss to Indiana in the Rose Bowl.

After the season, Simpson revealed that he was dealing with back issues because of a bulging disc starting in the South Carolina game. He also had elbow bursitis and was diagnosed with gastritis, which is inflimmation of the stomach lining that caused him to lose a significant amount of weight.

Despite all the injuries and illnesses, Simpson still took the field with his team because he felt like he gave Alabama the best chance to win. It can be viewed as reckless, but Simpson's toughness and grit cannot be denied. He will not quit on himself or his team.

Coach's son

Simpson's dad, Jason Simpson, has been a Division 1 head coach since 2006 at UT-Martin and was an assistant before that, so Ty grew up around the game. He doesn't have a ton of collegiate experience with just 15 starts under his belt, but he has a lot of experience around the sport of college football.

It is one of the reasons he has such a great understanding of the game and opposing defenses. Ty has a special football mind and can think quickly on his feet. The quarterback was calm in the pocket and wouldn't panic if he had to go to his second or third read.

Because of his dad's profession, Ty is also used to being around the media and in front of a camera. He is well spoken and provides thoughtful answers to media's questions.

Even while being the starting quarterback at one of the biggest brands in college sports, Ty was always worried about how his dad's team was doing. If Alabama and UT Martin were playing at the same time, he would sometimes joke in postgame press conferences that he wasn't going to answer questions until someone told him the UT Martin score.

Smaller in stature

At 6-1 and 211 pounds, Simpson is smaller than the average NFL quarterback, but that doesn't mean he isn't worth a first-round pick. NFL teams have drafted much smaller quarterbacks in the first round before like Young or Kyler Murray.

Simpson is undersized, but his stature wasn't an issue with his accuracy against SEC defenses when he was healthy. His size may have contributed to some of his injuries with some of the hits he absorbed. That will only get tougher against the best defensive players and hardest-hitting lineman in the world. Simpson has gotten his weight back up after dealing with gastritis but may need to bulk up more in the NFL.

Team captain

Simpson is a natural leader. His teammates voted him a team captain before he'd even taken a snap as the Crimson Tide's starting quarterback.

"He encourages us in the lifts and the meetings and everything, even in one-on-one things," Alabama offensive lineman Kadyn Proctor said back in October. "He's one of the best leaders that I've ever been around, and I'm proud of where he's at right now. I know he's gonna strive to be the best that he can every week."

After Alabama lost to Florida State in his first start, Simpson vowed that he would help the team get things right. The Crimson Tide went on a eight-game winning streak, including a stretch of four straight wins against ranked opponents. He led Alabama to a first-place finish in the SEC and a trip to the CFP quarterfinals.

Simpson fell short of his ultimate goal of winning a national title for the Crimson Tide, but his leadership and toughness put Alabama in a position to do so in Kalen DeBoer's second year.

Sports Illustrated draft tracker: https://www.si.com/nfl/draft/tracker

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