Dan Orlovsky Takes Firm Stand on Ty Simpson After Backlash

Less than two weeks remain until the 2026 NFL draft begins at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

A common question surrounding every NFL draft involves the depth of the quarterback class. The 2024 class saw six quarterbacks selected in the first round, two of which had won Heisman Trophies in the last two college football season while two more were Heisman Trophy finalists in the previous seasons.

Two years earlier, former Pittsburgh quarterback Kenny Pickett was the only signal caller selected in the first round.

The first round of the 2026 NFL draft is expected to bear some similarity to the 2022 first round. Former Indiana starter and Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza has long been projected to go No. 1 overall, but Oregon starter Dante Moore's decision to stay in college has created questions about which, if any, quarterback will follow Mendoza in the first round.

Prior to Moore's decision to stay in college, NFL draft analysts vacillated on whether or not former Alabama starter Ty Simpson is a first-round worthy prospect. That vacillation has not stopped in the months following Moore's decision, but a new argument has emerged that Simpson is not only a first-round prospect, but a potentially more attractive one than Mendoza.

One NFL analyst who has weighed in on the discussion about Simpson's status is former NFL quarterback Dan Orlovsky. He said Simpson will be a capable starter in the NFL on a recent edition of the "Ross Tucker Football Podcast."

"I would tell everybody that if we were going over all the guys that are the best in the league over an extended period of time, and there's different levels," Orlovsky said. "I don't believe I've stated that I'm putting Ty Simpson into that very rare group of the Lamar (Jackson)s, Josh (Allens), Patrick (Mahomes)s and Joe (Burrows) and whatnot, but I believe that he's a starting quarterback in the NFL."

Potential drawbacks to Simpson as a prospect

Ty Simpson during the first round of the College Football Playoff. — Alabama's Ty Simpson (15) a touchdown pass during the College Football Playoff game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) and the Alabama Crimson Tide at the Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Okla., Friday Dec. 19, 2025. | SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The anemic nature of Alabama's offense in 2025 was well-documented. The Crimson Tide turned in one of its worst rushing outputs over the last 25 seasons, did not get the production it needed from its star wide receiver late in the season and featured a porous offensive line.

In addition to the other offensive struggles, Simpson's production took a hit down the stretch as a result of injury. While Simpson is not entirely to blame for Alabama's offensive shortcomings, questions of his durability on an NFL team with a similar composition to the Crimson Tide could be a cause for concern.

Lack of starting experience is another area of concern for NFL franchises looking at Simpson. 25 starts, or roughly two whole seasons as a starter, is the minimum franchises want to see when scouting quarterbacks to draft.

Simpson learned from a pair of starters at Alabama, one of whom is now an NFL starter in Bryce Young, but he only started 15 games in his four seasons with the Crimson Tide.