Nick Saban Shares Thoughts on Best Situation for Ty Simpson Ahead of NFL Draft

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It remains unclear where Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson will land in the 2026 NFL draft. Though Simpson is the No. 2 quarterback in this year’s class, he is not necessarily a first-round pick, and could fall into Day 2 before he is selected.

Simpson is a particularly unique prospect because of his lack of experience at the college level. He spent four seasons with the Crimson Tide, but only started during his final year—much less experience than many successful quarterback prospects coming out including Cam Ward, Jayden Daniels and Bo Nix, among others. His first two months this season were mostly stellar, but injuries caused his play to dip toward the end of the season. At just 6’1”, he also lacks the size of top quarterback prospects.

As Simpson waits to hear his name called at the draft, his former Alabama coach Nick Saban weighed in on the ideal situation for him as he heads to the pros. Saban coached Simpson during the 2022 and ‘23 seasons before retiring.

"Ty Simpson is a guy that didn’t play as much in college as a lot of these quarterbacks as they develop,” Saban said on the Pat McAfee Show. “I think maturity would be the word that I would say is important in the development of his game. I think he can throw it well enough, I think he’s athletic enough. Decision-making, processing, drifting in the pocket, things that you can improve upon with experience. Maturity is nothing more than making the right decision at the right time and that comes with experience and repetition. He doesn’t have enough of that, but he will get and I think be a very good player. He needs to go someplace where has a chance to develop, and not play right away. That’s just my opinion.”

"He needs to go someplace where has a chance to develop, and not play right away."

Nick Saban gives his thoughts on Ty Simpson ahead of the NFL draft 🏈

(via @patmcafeeshow) pic.twitter.com/QJwoWzMQdx
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) April 22, 2026

Though Simpson is not a surefire first-round pick, he does plan to be one of the 16 prospects in attendance for the draft in Pittsburgh on Thursday. Regarding the possibility of not being drafted in the first round, Simpson said via Jeremy Bergman, "It's out of my control. I've done what I can do. I put my best foot forward, and whatever happens, happens. I'm at peace with it. I'm understanding that anything could happen. Just really excited to get started."

There has been growing buzz that Simpson could be selected by the Cardinals, who don’t have a long-term answer at quarterback. They aren’t the only option, however. Simpson also went on top-30 visits to the Browns, Jets and Dolphins ahead of the draft.

If the Jets were to end up drafting Simpson, he would join Joe Namath among Alabama quarterbacks to play for the team. “If I got to go to the Jets and I'd look as fly as [Namath], I think we'd be all right,” Simpson said, via Bergman.

Another possible fit for Simpson could be the Steelers, who are still awaiting Aaron Rodgers’s decision on his playing future and also are without a long-term plan at quarterback. When asked about potentially ending up in Pittsburgh, Simpson said, “It’d be awesome. This is my first time in Pittsburgh. It’s a gritty city. I feel like that’s how I play and I feel like that’s how Alabama is. So I’d be blessed to be able to play for the Steelers and Coach [Mike] McCarthy. “

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