There was a moment in time not too long ago where the 2026 NFL Draft was expected to have a quarterback class that would have teams lining up to move to the top of the draft order. Then everything changed.
Arch Manning and Dante Moore went back to school. Drew Allar, Cade Klubnik and Garrett Nussmeier saw their draft stocks fall dramatically. Now, only the Las Vegas Raiders seem likely to draft a quarterback in the first round. The only other QB flirting with first round status is Alabama’s Ty Simpson.
Simpson had a strong lone season as Alabama’s starting quarterback in 2025, but his lack of starting experience has teams very wary about spending a high pick on him. It seems like teams aren’t going all-out to do their homework on Simpson either, as only one NFL general manager attended his Pro Day on Wednesday: Chicago Bears GM Ryan Poles.
Ryan Poles is the only NFL GM who attened Ty Simpson’s Pro Day… thanks to Ohio State
Simpson simply had bad luck, as Alabama scheduled their Pro Day on the same day as Ohio State. Given that the Buckeyes have several players expected to be drafted in the first round, including Arvell Reese, Caleb Downs, Sonny St NFL GMs flocked to Columbus, Ohio instead of watching Simpson in action.
It’s a bit odd that Poles was the only GM who was there to watch Simpson. The Bears have an entrenched franchise quarterback in Caleb Williams. Still, that never stops front office executives from doing their due diligence on players at every position. Poles was surely watching other Alabama players who were working out as well.
Simpson has been a major talking point in draft circles this week due to ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky‘s endless praise of the Crimson Tide product. Orlovsky believes Simpson is the best quarterback in the draft, ahead of even Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza.
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