University of Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson is making a big bet on himself. He is one of the top QB prospects in the upcoming NFL Draft, and analysts have projected him to go as high as the first round.
Simpson avoided buying into the media hype, but said at his pro day on March 25 that his abilities and intangibles would make him a franchise quarterback capable of elevating an entire football program.
“Absolutely,” he said when asked by a reporter if he felt he was worthy of a first-round pick. “I feel like I’ve done everything that I can, but it’s not up to me, and I just know wherever I go that I’m going to give it my all and make sure that I’m going to put my best foot forward.”
Simpson was a five-star recruit coming out of high school, but he rode the bench for most of his college career behind Bryce Young, then Jalen Milroe.
He finally won the starting job in his redshirt junior season and immediately showed out, going 11-4 as a starter while throwing for 3,567 yards and 28 touchdowns against just 5 interceptions. He helped lead the Crimson Tide to the College Football Playoff, only to get rolled by the eventual champion Indiana Hoosiers, 38-3.
“Alabama gets you the most pro-ready than any other program,” he said. “Whether it’s the weight room, going against the different type of players on scout team, regular of the NFL type system. From Coach [Nick] Saban to Coach [Kalen] DeBoer, nothing’s changed when it comes to the standard, and the type of players that come in here, and what you’re asked to be a part of ... Wherever I go, whether I have to sit or play, just know that I’m going to give it my all, and I’m going give glory to God and be who I am.”
Simpson’s NFL.com prospect profile compares him to Alabama alumnus and current San Francisco 49ers QB Mac Jones. It notes that he has a solid mechanical foundation and is good at processing the field and attacking zone defenses, but lacks high-level arm talent and needs to work on his timing and anticipation. His inexperience is also a negative, and he will require extra time to develop his skills for the pro game.
Simpson, during his pro day, said he is more than the sum of his parts, that his intangibles would truly impact a franchise should they decide to draft him.
“I’m tough. I’m resilient. I love football,” he said. “And I want to make other people better. When I come in a program, I’m a program changer. I don’t just make myself better. I make other people better. So, if you draft me and you want me to be your franchise quarterback, I’m not just coming in to look after myself. I’m looking after the whole team and making sure that I leave it better than where I left it.”
Several mock drafts have him listed as a late first-round pick, commonly linked to QB-needy teams including the Pittsburgh Steelers, New York Jets, Cleveland Browns, and Arizona Cardinals. He was the subject of controversy this week when ESPN analyst and former NFL QB Dan Orlovsky said he was the top QB prospect in the class, ahead of consensus No. 1 pick, Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza. But Simpson didn’t buy into the hype.
“You’ve just got to ignore it and keep playing,” he said. “I get it. There’s going to be a lot of questions around my name, but I know what I’m capable of and I know that whoever’s going to get me is going to get a really good player and a guy who loves football, and a guy who loves the team and loves being a part of something bigger than himself.”
No matter where he ends up, Simpson said he will give his new team everything he has.
“I’m going to cry for sure,” he said when asked how he would react to being drafted. “All the adversity that I had to deal with through here, dreaming of it as a kid, all the sacrifices my mom and dad had to make, all the hard work. God’s blessed me in so many different ways. And being able to hear my name be called is going to be super surreal.”
