It remains to be seen if the Pittsburgh Steelers would be willing to draft Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson in the first round of April’s draft. If Tom Pelissero’s belief proves true, the Steelers won’t even have the chance. At least, not without trading up. Previewing the NFL Combine with Rich Eisen, Pelissero made a bold prediction about Simpson.
“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 told Eisen. “And remember, with four teams holding multiple first-round picks, there are times that teams look at that and go, ‘we’ve kinda got an extra one to play with here. We can get an instant impact from one and maybe a developmental starter from another.’”
If true, that means Simpson’s floor is 16th overall. With Pittsburgh holding the 21st overall pick, that puts them on the outside and would require a trade-up of at least five spots to land him. A disappointing sentiment if recent reports of the Steelers having their eye on Simpson are true.
The broader point from Pelissero was that the NFL might still view Simpson favorably despite a difficult end to the season. A hot start brought on early draft buzz, but Simpson struggled down the stretch. After throwing for a combined 20 touchdowns to one interception over his first eight games, he spent his final seven tossing just eight scores with four interceptions. His season ended watching from the sidelines after leaving the Rose Bowl with a rib injury in a blowout loss to Indiana.
Pelissero explained that.
“He had some type of gastritis issue,” he said. “He lost a bunch of weight; he was maybe weighing [190 pounds] by the end of the season.”
That could explain, though not excuse, Simpson’s struggles. If teams focus on the tape from the first half of the year, they might take a chance on him in the Top 16. The Cleveland Browns at No. 6, Miami Dolphins at No. 11, and New York Jets at No. 16 are all potentially interested teams.
As Pelissero alluded to, teams with multiple first-rounders could make an aggressive move up. The Browns (No. 6 and 24) and Jets (No. 2 and 16) have a pair of firsts to help them now and later. The Los Angeles Rams are picking at No. 13 and No. 29. Matthew Stafford is returning, but the Rams could be the perfect landing spot to sit Simpson for a season of development.
With Fernando Mendoza waiting until his Pro Day, Simpson will be the top quarterback throwing at the NFL Combine. This is a chance to remind scouts and media why he gained so much steam through the first two months of the season. After all, he’s in this discussion for a reason.