Ty Simpson makes surprising NFL Combine decision that is high-risk, high-reward

If there's one thing that is obvious about Alabama QB Ty Simpson, it's that he's not afraid of competition.

So in that vein, maybe it shouldn't come as a surprise that Simpson is planning to throw at next week's NFL Combine in Indianapolis, according to the NFL Network's Tom Pelissero:

But it's still a bit of a surprise considering most top QB prospects tend to wait for their Pro Days, when they are more in control of all the external factors. That's the decision that Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza has already made.

But Mendoza is the consensus QB1 in the draft after winning the Heisman Trophy and leading the Hoosiers to the National Championship. He's got nothing left to prove.

That's not the case for Simpson, who, while the consensus QB2, is not a lock to be selected in the first round. And that's almost certainly the impetus for his decision to throw in Indianapolis in hopes he can put together a strong enough performance at the Combine to cement his place in the first round of April's draft.

Ty Simpson will throw at the NFL Combine in risky decision for his draft stock

The flip side of the coin is that Simpson could go out there and harm his draft stock if he doesn't hit enough throws in an environment he can't control as well as he'll be able to do a few weeks later during Alabama's Pro Day.

The risk is high, but so is the reward. And Simpson has never shied away from competition.

It's why he stuck it out at Alabama for three years on the bench when he could have found a clearer path to the starting job. He lost the QB battle before the 2023 season to Jalen Milroe, and then sat behind him in 2023 and 2024 before finally winning the job in 2025 after Milroe left for the NFL Draft.

Simpson is used to having to earn everything he gets. And he'll head to Indianapolis for his first real shot at improving his stock during the pre-draft process with that well in mind.