Ty Simpson’s NFL Draft stock, Alabama quarterback among most watched prospects

Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson arrived in Pittsburgh as one of the draft’s defining unknowns, and his range may shape the entire first round. The 2026 NFL Draft opened Thursday night at Point State Park and Acrisure Stadium, the 91st edition of the event and the first held in Pittsburgh since 1948, with 257 picks scheduled across seven rounds through Saturday.

Simpson is part of a 16-player group attending in person, alongside Alabama teammate Kadyn Proctor, underscoring how much attention has clustered around the Crimson Tide’s passer. The central question is not whether Simpson belongs in the conversation, but how high teams are willing to bet on him after only 15 college starts, all of them coming in 2025.

That limited résumé has not kept Simpson out of the first-round discussion. Many NFL evaluators view him as the QB2 in the class behind Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza, and that alone keeps him in play while quarterback-needy teams sit early on the board. NFL.com’s team-needs tracker places the Raiders, Jets, Cardinals, Titans, Giants and Browns among the clubs with pressing quarterback questions near the top of round one.

Simpson declared for the draft on January 7, 2026, after a breakthrough season that put him squarely on the national radar. He threw for 3,567 yards, 28 touchdowns and five interceptions in 2025, earned second-team All-SEC honors and helped Alabama finish 11-4 while reaching the College Football Playoff quarterfinals. PFF lists him at 6-foot-2 and 208 pounds, and notes that he spent three years developing behind Bryce Young and Jalen Milroe before taking over as Alabama’s full-time starter.

That background is what makes Simpson one of the most closely watched names in the class. CBS Sports and other analysts have pegged him anywhere from top-10 value to a Day 2 selection, a spread that reflects how teams weigh projection against proof. The Steelers, who are projected to need a quarterback at No. 21, have also been linked as a possible landing spot, and Simpson has said he would love to play in Pittsburgh.

With quarterback boards often proving the most unstable part of draft night, Simpson’s outcome could do more than settle his own future. It could scramble the rest of round one.