Cardinals Suddenly Tied to What Could Be Draft’s Biggest Mistake

Welcome to draft day, where rumors are ablaze and it feels like anything you hear can either come to fruition or is simply just pulled out of thin air.

Separating fact from fiction as the Arizona Cardinals' third overall pick approaches has been a tall task, and if one NFL insider's prediction is correct, they're about to shake up the draft in a wild way.

Benjamin Allbright has the Cardinals trading down from the third pick with the New Orleans Saints, which is on par with our final mock draft.

However, he's got the Cardinals taking Alabama Crimson Tide QB Ty Simpson, which would undoubtedly qualify as the league's most shocking selection.

My ONLY 2026 Mock Draft. pic.twitter.com/bzggPf4Ovf
— Benjamin Allbright (@AllbrightNFL) April 23, 2026

Simpson and the Cardinals have been one of the draft's heavily connected pairings since early in the process, so the two uniting isn't quite the problem. Rather, it's more so the fact of Arizona wildly reaching on Simpson just to make sure they get him.

Are the Cardinals truly that in love with him?

Simpson is among the more polarizing prospects in this draft class, especially considering his position.

Some see the traits he offers, handling the mental aspect of the game fairly well on top of making some big time throws with a dash of mobility and arm talent. For what Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur is projected to install in terms of offensive schemes, many believe he's a fit.

Simpson himself would agree.

"All those guys, they love football, they're a quarterback-driven organization, because they're very familiar with the quarterback position. And I would love to be a Cardinal. I think that they're a great organization," Simpson said of Arizona back at the Combine.

However, the Cardinals do have to be wary of Simpson's less than ideal size for the quarterback position while his limited sample size (15 starts) at the college level aren't quite thrilling highlights on the scouting report either.

When asked specifically about Simpson at the NFL's owners meetings, LaFleur remained very non-committal.

"Good dude. You get 18 minutes [in the combine interview]. With a quarterback you need about 18 hours, like 18 days in a row," LaFleur said of Simpson.

"It was a good 18 minutes getting to know him. It was surface level."

Whether that was truth or intentional to keep the outside world guessing on his true feelings remains to be seen. But while there's no denying the Cardinals are arguably the best possibility for Simpson, taking him with the eighth overall pick feels extremely surprising given a few factors.

The first resides in his actual draft stock. Simpson is viewed as a second-round talent that would only go later in the first thanks to Arizona's need to satisfy the quarterback position. Taking him as a top-ten pick would shock practically everybody, and rightfully so.

The second would be the Cardinals' clear infatuation with him, and if that's the case, why not just take Simpson at No. 3?

Not only would this be surprising, it'd also be a massive mistake. The jury very much feels out on Simpson as a pro prospect with Arizona trading back into the first to do so — but bypassing several more talented players near the top of the draft order feels like drafting off need, which typically is a recipe for disaster.

Draft day always proves to be wild, but this would undoubtedly take the cake.

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