Dan Orlovsky may be one of the most outspoken football analysts out there, and sometimes, I am not sure people are even sure he believes what he says. However, he has been high on Ty Simpson this entire NFL Draft season.
Many thought he was crazy when he said Simpson was the best quarterback in the draft, even over the Heisman-winning number one draft pick, Fernando Mendoza. Recently, he has said that if Simpson is not drafted in the first round, then quarterbacks are being evaluated incorrectly in the NFL. Those are strong words for a guy who only played 15 games in college and spent two years waiting for his turn behind Jalen Milroe.
Not only are Orlovsky's comments currently validated, but the quarterback guru Sean McVay feels the same way, and that says a lot about Simpson. And Orlovsky took a much-deserved victory lap after the Simpson selection was made:
Dan Orlovsky was doing victory laps with Pat McAfee and the boys after the Rams selected Ty Simpson 😤 pic.twitter.com/x37hyrS0XE
— ESPN (@espn) April 24, 2026
Dan Orlovsky got early vindication for his Ty Simpson NFL Draft opinion
After his horrible one-game performance against USF in the rain back in 2023, honestly, I was not sure if Simpson would ever get a chance to start at Alabama again. Obviously, what Orlovsky and McVay saw during this draft season, Kalen DeBoer saw it before both, considering there were many who thought Keelon Russell should have started as a freshman.
Once Simpson got his opportunity last season, he outdid himself, leading Alabama to the Rose Bowl, and was in the Heisman Trophy race until injuries caught up with him in November.
I think even Orlovsky deep down is shocked that Simpson went as high as he did, just like most everyone else, but the tape said a lot about him, and McVay feels like what Ty does translates to the NFL.
It helps that there are quite a few great receivers in LA. There is no pressure on Simpson to be successful right out of the gate, and we will get to see Orlovsky gloat for the remainder of the off-season on whatever ESPN show he is part of. I am here for it, though, as nobody deserves the praise and the opportunity more than Simpson.
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