It has been a few weeks since we have seen Ty Simpson play at his top form. Last week against Oklahoma was, by ESPN's QBR standards, his worst game of the season since he struggled in Alabama's loss to Florida State. It's not a coincidence that Alabama has lost the two games he has played the worst in this season.
Because one of the realities we found out when toe met leather in late August was that any notion that this Crimson Tide team didn't need "elite" play at the QB position this year to be a contender was categorically false. It was obvious since the season opener that Alabama needed a ceiling raiser at the position to have a legitimate shot at contending for the National Championship.
And that's exactly what Simpson has been. It's not just Alabama fans who have noticed, either. Simpson has gained significant traction in NFL Draft circles, with some going so far as to say he could be the top QB taken in April if he chooses to forego his final season of collegiate eligibility.
His relative struggles against Oklahoma didn't change that, according to most experts. It wasn't like he was an outright disaster. He just didn't live up to the standard he had set all season long. He raised the ceiling for himself considerably this season, and with a week to work out the kinks against Eastern Illinois, he should be able to get back to that level of play when Alabama needs him most in the Iron Bowl.
Until then, NFL scouts seem to still be sold on Simpson as a potentially franchise-altering talent. Whether he comes back for a final season of college football or not remains to be seen, but if he chooses to enter the draft, he'll be one of the most talked-about prospects in this cycle.
USA Today projects Ty Simpson to be drafted No. 5 overall
Foregoing conventional wisdom, USA Today's Ayrton Ostly does not have a QB being drafted in the first three picks of his updated 2026 NFL Mock Draft. Instead, the first QB comes off his board at No. 4, with the Cleveland Browns selecting Indiana's Fernando Mendoza, who has seen a similar meteoric rise as Simpson this season.
Simpson would hear his name called next, according to Ostly, with the New York Jets grabbing him at No. 5 to give them the franchise QB they have sought out for so long now.
Perhaps if his options are the Browns or the Jets, Simpson would be wise to return to school. Fit matters for QBs in the NFL, and not many organizations have ruined promising young quarterbacks at a higher clip than the Browns and Jets have over the years.
Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold still managed to become franchise QBs after being drafted by Cleveland and New York, respectively, but it took some team-hopping to make that happen.