Ty Simpson immediately vindicated for NFL Draft decision thanks to Dante Moore

A week ago, Alabama QB Ty Simpson announced he would declare for the NFL Draft. On Tuesday, he made that decision official by filing the paperwork to enter, despite ridiculous offers from the likes of Miami, Ole Miss, and Tennessee to try to entice him into the Transfer Portal.

Simpson received first-round NFL Draft feedback, which led him to forego his final season of eligibility. His standing as a first-round pick looks even more secure now that Oregon QB Dante Moore announced he would return to Oregon for the 2026 season instead of going pro.

Dante Moore returning to Oregon likely solidifies Ty Simpson as QB2 in the NFL Draft

Simpson looked like a comfortable QB3 on the big board of most experts heading into draft season, behind Moore and the consensus QB1: Indiana Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza. With Moore staying in Eugene, Simpson will head into the pre-draft process as the likely QB2.

That only further solidifies Simpson as a first-round pick in April. Only once in the last 12 NFL Drafts has there been only one QB taken in the first-round. That happened in 2022 when Pittsburgh's Kenny Picket was the lone first-round selection.

There are a ton of QB-needy teams in this class, and not only should Simpson find himself comfortably in the first-round, but he could easily now work himself into the Top 10-15 pick range.

NFL teams overdraft quarterbacks all the time. They also draft on potential. And during the first half of the 2025 season, no QB in the country showed more NFL potential than Simpson. From his ability to diagnose coverage quickly and make adjustments at the line, Simpson checks all the boxes of a quality NFL starter.

He'd probably be best served sitting for a year or two as a backup while he develops further, but with Moore opting to remain in college, Simpson may no longer have the luxury of dropping to a better team.

For better or worse, he might be starting as a rookie next season.