The Arizona Cardinals need to answer their quarterback question this offseason, and one of the top college prospects, Ty Simpson out of Alabama, declared for the NFL Draft on Wednesday.
Simpson has only been Alabama’s starter for a season, as he played sparingly as a backup over the previous three years.
In his opportunity to lead the Crimson Tide, Simpson turned in 3,567 passing yards, 28 touchdowns and five interceptions to make the All-SEC Second Team. He completed 64.5% of his passes and reached 200 yards in each of his first 10 games played in 2025.
On his latest big board, ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. ranked Simpson third among quarterbacks, trailing Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza and Oregon’s Dante Moore, who play each other in the Peach Bowl on Friday for a shot at a national title. Neither quarterback has declared for the draft yet as they continue to compete.
The Crimson Tide went 11-4 this season, losing the SEC championship to Georgia, winning the first round of the College Football Playoff over Oklahoma and getting blown out in the quarterfinal against Mendoza’s Hoosiers.
After throwing for 232 yards and two touchdowns against Oklahoma, Simpson was held to 67 passing yards and did not finish the game against Indiana at the Rose Bowl due to a cracked rib.
NFL Draft analysts expressed mixed feelings on Simpson as a prospect on social media, particularly considering his lack of starting experience.
The Athletic’s Dane Brugler: “Ty Simpson put plenty of encouraging stuff on tape and this is a light QB class. 15 career college starts is tough. Short list of NFL QBs who panned out with such meager college experience.”
PFF’s Trevor Sikkema: “He definitely has NFL ability, but very few starts and especially struggled under pressure due to that lack of experience. NFL isn’t a developmental league for top picks, so I thought returning to school (Alabama or transfer) was the best route.”
ESPN’s Matt Miller: “A one-year starter, Simpson’s poise and processing ability stood out early this year but trailed off down the stretch. It’ll be interesting to see how NFL teams weigh his lack of experience against his play.”
The Cardinals have the No. 3 overall pick in the upcoming draft after a 3-14 season. Quarterback Kyler Murray remains under contract, but the Cardinals could save some money by moving on before the fifth day of the league new year in March.
General manager Monti Ossenfort told reporters this week that all options are on the table regarding the quarterback situation.
Arizona also owns the No. 34 overall pick, which is more in line with the range Simpson is projected to land.
ESPN’s Jordan Reid, Yahoo! Sports’ Nate Tice and Charles McDonald, and The Ringer’s Danny Kelly all had Simpson falling out of the first round in their latest mock drafts, even with a light quarterback class.
