Entering the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine, the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft is nearly a foregone conclusion with the Las Vegas Raiders selecting Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza. However, after Mendoza, there is no clear indication as to when the next quarterback will come off the board. Alabama’s Ty Simpson is the consensus second quarterback prospect, and some in the media have projected him to be a mid to late first-round pick. After reaching out to a number of team sources, they have a wide range of where they think Simpson will go.
Two directors of player personnel thought Simpson would be a late first-round pick, while another director of college scouting thought Simpson would go in the top-20. Another national scout thought Simpson could rise very high:
“I think he goes high,” texted the national scout. “He’s got good tape, great kid, will interview well, I think he rises high in the process.”
At this point, for the 2018 NFL Draft, Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield was being projected as a pick in the back half of the first round. Mayfield rose through the process and ended up being the No. 1 overall pick. In the same draft, Louisville’s Lamar Jackson was being projected in the back half of the first, and he ended up being a very late first-rounder. Still early in the process, Simpson’s potential is there to rise or stagnate. In my latest 2026 NFL Mock Draft, I have one of those scenarios playing out. Right now, team sources are split on whether Simpson goes late, in the top-20, or rises high.
