The 2026 NFL draft begins Thursday at 8 p.m. ET in Pittsburgh, and one of the big questions of the draft is where quarterback Ty Simpson will land. The Arizona Cardinals are believed to be very interested in drafting him, and the betting markets have them as the odds-on favorite to get him.
However, he is expected to go in the first round and, after the Cardinals have the third overall pick, they don’t pick again until No. 34.
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They could trade back into the first round as the New York Giants did last year to get Jaxson Dart. If that is their plan, the question is how high they have to come up to get him.
There are two critical spots.
The first is at pick No. 16, the second of two first-round picks for the New York Jets. They also have the 33rd pick, one selection ahead of the Cardinals, but if they want Simpson to be able to sit a year behind Geno Smith, rather than risking the Cardinals leapfrog them there, they could take Simpson 16th overall.
The Cardinals likely will not be willing to pay the price it will cost to move up from No. 34 to No. 15.
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The other spot is at No. 21 where the Pittsburgh Steelers pick. Aaron Rodgers has not made up his mind about his return in 2026, so the Steelers might just go with Simpson.
If Simpson makes it past No. 21, it will simply be a case of how much they want to give up to move up and make sure the Jets don’t get him.
The Cardinals are viewed as the most likely team to land Simpson. We will see if that actually happens as early as Thursday night.
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This article originally appeared on Cards Wire: Two teams stand in way of Cardinals getting Ty Simpson