Ty Simpson stood in front of dozens of NFL decision-makers at Alabama’s pro day Wednesday and threw for more than 40 minutes. He had already worked out at the combine in February. He came back anyway.
There was a logic to it. Simpson did not make things simple for the scouts watching. No easy completions, no safe routes designed to pad a percentage. He wanted the session to reflect what he believes he can do at the next level, not what would look clean on a stat sheet.
Simpson is widely projected as the second-best quarterback available in this draft, behind Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza. At least one evaluator ranks him first. What is less disputed is that he is tracking toward the first round, and the teams lining up to meet with him suggest those projections are serious.
The Jets are paying close attention
The New York Jets, who hold the second and 16th overall picks, will send their top decision-makers to Tuscaloosa on Thursday evening for dinner with Simpson, followed by a private workout Friday morning. General manager Darren Mougey, head coach Aaron Glenn, offensive coordinator Frank Reich, and quarterbacks coach Bill Musgrave will make the trip. The group is traveling directly from Lubbock, Texas, where they are attending Texas Tech’s pro day on Thursday.
The Jets’ willingness to commit that kind of organizational attention to Simpson says something. New York has been searching for a franchise quarterback for years, and the presence of Reich and Musgrave in the room signals this is not a casual evaluation.
Simpson has also already met with the Los Angeles Rams, who pick 13th overall. The Rams are facing their own quarterback questions as Matthew Stafford weighs his future, and Simpson would represent a long-term bet in a room with an experienced starter who could ease the transition.
What the tape and the numbers say
Simpson completed 64.5% of his passes last season for 3,567 yards and 28 touchdowns. His efficiency dipped late in the year, when he averaged 156 passing yards per game across his final five games with six touchdowns and three interceptions. The explanation, it turned out, was physical. He was dealing with gastritis that pushed his weight below 200 pounds before the College Football Playoff, then suffered a rib injury during Alabama’s Rose Bowl loss to Indiana.
He weighed 211 pounds at the combine and described himself as fully healthy now.
Draft analysts who have evaluated Simpson closely point to his quick release and willingness to push the ball downfield as his most consistent strengths. He can generate velocity without much room to work in the pocket, and his timing-based approach gives evaluators something concrete to project forward. The skepticism around him centers on his smaller frame, a modest number of career starts, and some accuracy inconsistency under pressure. He is 23, and there are questions about how much room remains for development.
Simpson’s own read on himself is straightforward. He believes that wherever he lands, the team is getting more than a quarterback.
What Ty Simpson is selling
Simpson said he was invited to attend the draft in Pittsburgh but has not yet decided whether he will make the trip. Whether or not he is in the room when his name is called, the process has gone the way he wanted. He is healthy, teams are coming to him, and the conversation about his draft position has not softened.
He frames his value in team terms. He is not just a player looking to start, he says. He wants to lift an entire program, from the locker room outward.
That pitch is aimed at a specific kind of franchise, one that wants a quarterback who sees his role as larger than his own statistics. Several teams currently without a clear answer at the position will have a chance to decide whether they believe him.
The 2026 NFL Draft is scheduled for late April in Pittsburgh.
