Ty Simpson NFL Draft Profile: Conference Championship Scouting Report for the Alabama Quarterback
Ty Simpson is a quarterback from Alabama who is ranked No. 11 on my NFL Draft Top 100 Big Board. This comprehensive scouting report analyzes Simpson’s draft potential, current mock draft trends, and where he ranks among the top prospects.
Ty Simpson’s NFL Draft Potential
Ty Simpson is a one-year starter who used his one year to catapult into first-round territory. He’s now inserted himself into a battle with Dante Moore and Fernando Mendoza for the QB1 spot — although he still needs to do more to lock that spot down. Through 12 games, Simpson is 10-2, he has completed 256 of 389 (65.8%) of his passes for 3,056 yards, 25 touchdowns, and just four interceptions. And he has a stellar PFSN CFB QB Impact score of 85.6.
One-year starters don’t have an inspiring track record as early-round NFL Draft picks, but Simpson is giving evaluators every reason to believe he’ll be an exception to the rule. Many of the potential drawbacks for Simpson’s profile are anecdotal or cosmetic. He’s just a one-year starter who finally earned the job in his fourth year, he couldn’t beat out Jalen Milroe, and he’s not quite the ideal prototype at just 6’2″, 208 pounds. But turn on the tape, and he’s a gamer who exudes NFL qualities.
Despite his closer-to-average size, Simpson has a fairly strong and elastic arm, and he’s a jittery, agile athlete with supreme creative instincts and extension ability both in and out of structure. He doesn’t rely on his athleticism as a crutch; he exhausts all options in the pocket, and can even move the pocket to nullify pressure threats with his spatial feel and eye discipline, and he has the strong processing ability to read and anticipate windows over the middle. Meanwhile, on release, Simpson is one of the most accurate throwers in the class, with crisp, congruent mechanics and infallible hip torque to maximize velocity.
All this, and Simpson’s greatest strength can’t always be quantified: It’s his clutch gene, and his ice-cold nature in high-pressure situations. On “need to have it” downs, Simpson’s laser focus, discipline, and processing win time and time again. This advanced stat is proof of that: In final two-minute situations, at the end of each half, Simpson generates a stellar 0.75 EPA per play, according to TruMedia. In a small sample, Simpson has gone from unproven sleeper to unquestioned Round 1 candidate.
In Week 9 against South Carolina, it was Simpson’s poise in high-pressure moments and fluctuating pockets that stood out. In Week 11 against LSU, it was his ability to step up, anticipate middle-field windows, and distribute with timeliness and decisive zeal. Ultimately, every game enforces this fact: Simpson is a high-level operator who can also create to an acceptable level when things go awry.
Having said all this, there’s a reason Simpson isn’t QB1 in the 2026 NFL Draft, and the loss to Oklahoma shed more light on this. Brent Venables deserves credit for scheming up a game plan to get Simpson off-balance and uncomfortable, and Simpson’s worst qualities were magnified by that game plan. The Oklahoma defense disguised intent pre-snap, gave Simpson confusing box looks, and unleashed blitz threats through multiple gaps. The results? Simpson forced a hot throw for a pick-six early on, and his frenetic mechanics contributed to lapses in accuracy and situational precision throughout.
That inconsistency with accuracy and precision, at multiple levels, is the main factor keeping Simpson from jumping Moore and Mendoza in the QB1 conversation. Of the three, Simpson has the worst tools by a slight margin, and while he’s very poised, there’s a minute mechanical freneticism under pressure that can contribute to lapses in situational precision, trajectory, placement, and proper drive to the deep third. When testing deep, his passes stall out far too often, and more than preferred, RAC opportunities are left unclaimed because improper placement forces WRs to make tougher plays.
From a bird’s eye view, Simpson still has acceptable general accuracy; more often than not, he’ll give his receivers a chance. But situational precision and consistency with downfield drive has to be an emphasis down the stretch. If he can’t supersede that, Simpson could max out as a competent, but mid-level NFL starter. My comparison for Simpson is Marc Bulger — with perhaps a bit more athleticism and arm talent. Simpson has Pro Bowl potential and can help a team compete, and is definitively worth Round 1 capital, but he’ll need optimal support to reach his ultimate ceiling.
Where Is Simpson Being Selected Most Often in the PFSN Mock Draft Simulator?
Simpson currently holds the No. 6 overall rank among prospects, indicating his elite standing as of the most recent update. His most recent Average Draft Position (ADP) of 8.6 as of December 6 reflects that he is typically being selected within the top 10 picks overall.
This small gap between rank and ADP suggests he’s consistently valued among evaluators, even amid fluctuations in player evaluations at this stage of the draft cycle.
Users controlling the New York Jets have been the team that selected Simpson the most frequently over the past week, accounting for 2.9% of their picks across all seven rounds. Notably, 9.2% of the New York Jets’ first-round selections over that same period were used on Simpson, underscoring users’ strong preference for him as a potential immediate-impact quarterback.
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Where Does Ty Simpson Rank Amongst Other NFL Draft Prospects?
Simpson is currently ranked No. 11 overall in my December 2026 NFL Draft Big Board. Among QB prospects, Simpson ranks 3rd at the position, trailing prospects like Dante Moore, Fernando Mendoza. As a first-round caliber prospect, Simpson is among the top-tier players in this draft class.
Want to see how we rank all the draft prospects in the PFSN Mock Draft Simulator? Check out our NFL Draft Prospect Rankings page, which includes more than 750 prospects.
