Ty

Simpson

Per Rapsheet, that’s what Snead told Simpson’s father when the Crimson Tide product was mulling leaving Alabama for the draft. We are getting a little into hearsay territory here, but it does raise the question of whether the Rams could be a dark horse contender for Simpson’s services. Coach Sean McVay has telegraphed for years he would like to draft Matthew Stafford’s successor, but aside from a Day 3 flier on Stetson Bennett, he hasn’t gotten around to it. Any Simpson/Rams selection, of course, would be highly unlikely to occur at No. 13, and would instead take place via some sort of late-first or early-second round trade up. Rapsheet does confirm despite this Rams nugget that the Cardinals and Jets remain Simpson’s most likely landing spots.

Connecting the dots of publicly available information, Wolfe points out the Jets gave Simpson a private workout and attended his Pro Day. They also reportedly had dinner together and have “liked what they have (seen)” in general. Simpson has little to no shot of going to the Jets at No. 3 or 16, but Gang Green also owns picks No. 33 and 44. New York and Arizona make by far the most sense for who seems to be the draft’s clear QB2. Although the Jets are undoubtedly dreaming of next year’s supposedly better quarterback class — a draft in which they have three first-rounders — a Day 2 Simpson flier would make a ton of sense.

“The noise across the league is getting impossible to ignore,” Jones writes in putting Simpson on the Cardinals in a trade-up at the end of the first round. Arizona’s current quarterback situation of a holding-out Jacoby Brissett, Gardner Minshew, and Kedon Slovis could desperately use a new, younger direction. We’re not sure that Simpson really is that direction, but one thing we can say about him is that he’s definitely available to draft right now, unlike all those better quarterbacks that are certainly coming in 2027.

ESPN’s Draft Day Predictor model gives Simpson a 43 percent chance of going in the first round of the draft, which kicks off on Thursday night. “If the Alabama quarterback were to be selected Thursday, the most likely spots are at Nos. 16 (currently the Jets), 21 (Steelers) and 24 (Browns), though he could go at any pick as the result of a trade,” Walder said. The steam behind Simpson has faded a bit since he rocketed up draft boards in March as the only NFL-viable QB in the 2026 draft class outside Fernando Mendoza, who will be drafted first overall by the Raiders. If Simpson slips into the second round, Walder expects the Cardinals and Jets to strongly consider him. Jets head coach Aaron Glenn has already named Geno Smith the team’s Week 1 starter.

The only QB not named Fernando Mendoza who is believed to have a chance to go in the first round is Alabama’s Ty Simpson, who did meet with the Steelers earlier in the pre-draft process. As Pryor notes, the Steelers “continue to believe Aaron Rodgers will ultimately return for another season,” and that they will likely pass on a QB with the 21st overall pick. The Steelers currently hold 12 draft picks, which include four Day 2 picks. If they were to take a quarterback, it’s possible they would use one of those Day 2 picks to take a shot on a guy who would have a chance to redshirt his rookie season, presumably behind Rodgers, before having a chance ot start in his second year.

Rapoport said he would be “surprised” if the Cardinals drafted a quarterback with the No. 3 overall pick. He also notes that Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort has a working relationship with Texans general manager Nick Caserio. The Texans currently hold the 28th overall pick. Swapping No. 34-plus for No. 28 would allow the Cardinals to get in front of the quarterback-needy Jets, who are slated to pick at the top of the second round, with pick No. 33. Rapoport also believes that if both the Cardinals and Jets pass on Simpson in this range, he may be waiting to be drafted for quite a while.

This doesn’t tell us a whole lot. Readers might recall that the 2026 NFL Draft is next week, and the Cardinals hosted Alabama QB Ty Simpson for a top-30 visit yesterday. If the Cardinals do not draft a rookie quarterback, Jacoby Brissett will likely be the default starter, with only Gardner Minshew and Kedon Slovis joining him on the roster at this time. If that is the case, the pass catchers likely stand to benefit. Brissett was able to distribute the ball effectively last year. Rolling with a developmental rookie could hurt the receiving outlooks for TE Trey McBride, WR Michael Wilson and WR Marvin Harrison Jr.

Schultz adds that if the Cardinals were to keep the pick, their preferred player remains “the biggest mystery” among teams slated to pick in the top five. They have been linked to Notre Dame RB Jeremiyah Love and recently hosted Alabama QB Ty Simpson for a top-30 visit. Pass rushers like Ohio State LB Arvell Reese and Texas Tech EDGE David Bailey are also in play. If Simpson is the target, trading back a bit while ideally adding a future first-round pick could be their plan.

As ESPN’s Field Yates notes, this is the final day for prospects to visit with teams. The Cardinals hold the No. 3 pick, which is likely already spoken for. They then pick again at No. 34 at the top of the second round. That is where they would be targeting Simpson if they want him, though the Cardinals could also move back into the first round if they are worried about someone else nabbing the Bama passer. Arizona currently has Jacoby Brissett as their starter and Gardner Minshew to back him. They need to address quarterback in some capacity, but that could ultimately be delayed until the 2027 NFL Draft, which should have a much stronger quarterback class.

Simpson, according to Fowlers, could go “anywhere from 10 to 30 in the first round, but it’s hard to confidently project a home for him yet. Positional needs could push him above his grade, but enough scouts have a second-round grade on him to make early Day 2 a possibility.” Simpson’s draft stock has risen considerably over the past few weeks, as he’s made top-30 pre-draft visits with the Cardinals, Dolphins, and Browns. The Dolphins are reportedly intent on drafting a quarterback to play behind Malik Willis in 2026 and the Cardinals and Browns are without clear starting quarterbacks headed into this coming season. “I don’t think anyone expects him to come in right away and be great. If picked in the 20s, he’ll get experience and reps and get legs under him,” an AFC executive told Fowler. “He’s a good kid, a coach’s kid, had a lot of good production and success. Maybe not on the same tier as top guys, but he’s still a player.” Simpson last year at Alabama threw for 3,567 yards, 28 touchdowns, and five interceptions over 15 games.