Alabama QB Ty Simpson Linked to NFC Team Ahead of 2026 NFL Draft
Ty Simpson is getting some buzz ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft and one team is coming up in those conversations. Simpson spent most of his college career waiting his turn behind Bryce Young and Jalen Milroe before finally taking over as the starter.
He logged just 15 starts in 2025 but put up numbers that at least held up on paper with 64.5 percent completions, 3,567 yards, 25 touchdowns and five interceptions. Working through his reads has been inconsistent and while his accuracy and mechanics are generally sound, there are enough uneven moments to give evaluators pause.
The Alabama quarterback is widely considered the second-best signal-caller in this class behind Fernando Mendoza, the projected top pick and 2025 Heisman Trophy winner.
Simpson visited Arizona on Wednesday and according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, that connection is no coincidence.
"In league circles, Simpson has been linked to Arizona more than any other team," Fowler wrote on X.
Drafting Alabama's Ty Simpson Could Define Cardinals' Future
The Arizona Cardinals' interest makes sense when you factor in the front office situation. General manager Monti Ossenfort has had a rough few seasons and another year of spinning wheels at quarterback could put his job on the line heading into 2027.
That kind of pressure tends to sharpen how aggressively a team moves on a prospect. Still, there are limits to how far Arizona would realistically go. Taking Simpson in the early second round fits.
Using the No. 3 overall pick on him does not. There is also real doubt about whether the Cardinals would trade up late in the first round, given how the rest of the league currently views him.
And that broader picture matters. Simpson has not generated consistent first-round noise across the teams shopping for a quarterback this cycle. The conversations around those teams have leaned more toward skepticism about the entire prospect pool than any strong conviction in him specifically.
Compared to players drawing clearer interest elsewhere, his evaluations have been decidedly mixed. That is the tension Arizona faces. Needing a quarterback is one thing. Deciding Simpson is worth burning extra draft capital to go get is something else entirely.
Right now, the league-wide appetite for him does not suggest teams are racing to move up and take him off the board early. Whether the Cardinals feel differently when it counts is the real question heading into draft weekend.
Related: Ravens' Jesse Minter Reveals His Expectation for Lamar Jackson Before 2026 NFL Season
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This story was originally published April 15, 2026 at 7:06 PM.