In the upcoming 2026 NFL draft, outside of Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza, we have no idea where the quarterbacks will end up.
In past years, we have seen potential franchise quarterbacks in Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye, Caleb Williams, Cam Ward and Jaxson Dart, but now we are looking at one of the weakest draft classes for the position since 2019.
According to Fox Sports, NFL execs are “not too high on QBs” in the upcoming class.
Still, there might be another quarterback who could just about scrape into the first round.
Rise of Ty Simpson
Ty Simpson of the Alabama Crimson Tide is that player.
Only playing one full season as the starter for the SEC powerhouse, he wildly impressed, even having early Heisman shouts. He threw for 28 touchdowns, 5 interceptions and 3,567 yards.
Still, he came up short in the play-offs, as Alabama lost to the eventual winners, the Indiana Hoosiers.
Only having one standout season seems to be one of his major downsides. The 5-star recruit committed to Alabama in 2022, but saw little playing time as he was stuck behind the likes of Bryce Young and Jalen Milroe.
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The Draft
Coming into the 2026 draft, teams are looking like they are putting off drafting a QB from this class.
The Raiders are set on Mendoza, but 2nd overall New York Jets have picked up Geno Smith after being released, so to waste one of their 2 first round picks on a QB would be unwise.
Minnesota is another team that could have drafted a QB in the first round, but picking up Kyler Murray to replace the disastrous JJ McCarthy likely rules them out, too.
It seems that most teams in need of a QB will instead be looking at the highly lauded 2027 draft class.
But could Ty Simpson still find his way to the first round?
As ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. wrote, “This is a good range for Simpson, who has only 15 career starts but throws with accuracy, processes quickly and moves well in the pocket. He threw 28 touchdown passes in 2025 and is a first-round QB in my book”.
Where will he go? On the 23rd of April, we will find out the outcome for the now-former Crimson Tide quarterback.
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