In his first interview at the NFL Combine, former Alabama QB Ty Simpson revealed a surprising family connection that could have ramifications on where he ends up in the draft.
Simpson is the consensus QB2 in the NFL Draft, but he has a wide-range of draft possibilities, and his performance in Indianapolis will go a long way toward determining where he ends up in April.
There are a lot of QB-needy teams across the league, which should lead to making Simpson a first-round pick. One of those teams is undoubtedly the Cleveland Browns, which has a shaky future at the position.
The Browns drafted both Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders last season, and still have a lot of money invested in Deshaun Watson, who missed all of the 2025 season after re-rupturing his Achilles Tendon.
But that might not preclude the Browns from using one of their two first-round picks (Nos. 6 & 24) on the Alabama QB.
A previous relationship with new Cleveland head coach Todd Monken might only make that a stronger possibility.
Simpson discussed his relationship with Monken on Friday. Monken was the offensive coordinator at Georgia during Simpson's recruiting process, but the relationship actually goes back further than that with Simpson's father.
"Him and my Dad actually have a great relationship because he coached at Southern Miss for a little bit," Simpson said.
Monken was the Southern Miss head coach from 2013-15, which is the alma mater of the elder Simpson.
Todd Monken relationship could lead Ty Simpson to the Cleveland Browns
That, of course, might not necessarily be a good thing. The Browns have been a QB graveyard for a long, long time, and as we've seen so many examples of in the NFL recently, fit and situation matter more than anything for quarterbacks at the next level.
Baker Mayfield has turned into a franchise QB for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but had to get out of Cleveland to do it. The same is true for Sam Darnold and the Jets, another team that is in the market for a QB this offseason, and Darnold just won the Super Bowl with the Seattle Seahawks.
But perhaps Monken's QB history could be a good fit for Simpson. Perhaps he can get the Browns back on track, and maybe Simpson is the quarterback who can lead the franchise back to relevance.
For Simpson's sake, however, going somewhere without so many "maybes" would be preferable.