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The quarterback-needy Pittsburgh Steelers are already out of reach of presumptive No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza of Indiana. However, NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero believes he isn’t the only quarterback the Steelers will have little to no shot of landing at their current standing.
Pelissero thinks Pittsburgh is also currently too far down the 2026 NFL Draft board to land Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson at No. 21 overall.
“I still believe, not just that he goes in the first, I believe Ty Simpson most likely goes in the top half of the first round,” Pelissero said on The Rich Eisen Show. “And remember, with four teams holding multiple first-round picks, there are times that teams look at that and go, ‘We’ve kind of got an extra one to play with here. We can get an instant impact from one and maybe a developmental starter from another.’”
The Steelers are not among the teams with two first-round selections, but they do have plenty of draft capital to execute a trade-up if they so desire with 12 total picks.
That seemed to be Pittsburgh’s original plan before several of this year’s top quarterback prospects decided to return to their respective schools.
Nonetheless, if the Steelers view Simpson as a potential franchise quarterback, it may just take a trade-up to land him.
Simpson threw for 3,567 yards, 28 touchdowns and just five interceptions while leading Alabama to the College Football Playoffs. However, the start to his 2025 season was opposite that of the second half.
Ty Simpson, Alabama Athletics
Pelissero thinks he may know what caused Simpson’s decline in production, though.
“He had some type of gastritis issue,” Pelissero continued. “He lost a bunch of weight. He was maybe weighing [190 pounds] by the end of the season.”
Simpson also suffered a cracked rib in Alabama’s semifinal loss to Indiana on Jan. 1, so his health is currently in question.
Luckily for Pittsburgh, Simpson is planning to throw at the 2026 NFL Combine, which will not only give the team a better look at him but the 31 other NFL franchises as well.
Mentioned In This Article: 2026 NFL Draft Alabama Pittsburgh Steelers Steelers Tom Pelissero Ty Simpson