The top prospect for the 2026 NFL Draft is Fernando Mendoza, who is the quarterback. It’s almost certain that the Las Vegas Raiders will select the Indiana quarterback as their first overall pick. The main unanswered issue surrounding the draft is whether Mendoza will be joined by any other quarterback in the first round.
Ty Simpson is the leading contender for the position of QB2 in the class, and to be honest, there isn’t much rivalry for that title. Despite his tape being full of NFL throws, making him one of the most contentious prospects of the year, the former Alabama quarterback has significant questions about his difficulties in the second half of the season and his inexperience playing.
Former LSU national champion Breiden Fehoko has a more bluntly negative view of Simpson than anyone else, though he’s not the only one who’s pessimistic.
Since retiring from the NFL after a journeyman career, Fehoko seems to be shifting into the hot-take environment. The nose tackle spent the majority of his time on the Pittsburgh Steelers practice squad after playing three seasons for the Los Angeles Chargers, having previously won the 2019 national championship with LSU.
The GM who chooses Ty Simpson should be warned by Breiden Fehoko.
For almost every NFL general manager, making a mistake in the quarterback position spells doom. The most recent person to confirm that is Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, who was let go by the Minnesota Vikings two years after picking JJ McCarthy in the first round. But Simpson’s position among the other first-round quarterback candidates in this class appears to be misunderstood by Fehoko.
Due to the league’s pressing need to locate the next franchise player, Simpson will undoubtedly be propelled up the board. However, more than two months before the draft, Simpson does not seem to be moving up into the top 10 and joining a squad where he would be the Day 1 starter.
Fehoko may be correct if that ends up being the case, not simply because Simpson will fail, but also because Simpson would be joining a poor team with few game reps as a one-year college starter, putting him in a position to fail. Simpson is more likely to be selected in the second half of the first round by teams that might give him the opportunity to sit out, if not his whole rookie season, a good portion of it before he takes over as the starter.
With the Los Angeles Rams, perhaps, Simpson would be entering a perfect situation with a strong roster and the opportunity to grow in that environment. With most of those franchises, the team would rather break up with the player than with the general manager, even if Simpson is not the answer.
Simpson has NFL potential. The manner in which Simpson led Tide despite having a minimal run game was astounding, even though Fehoko obviously doesn’t think it’s the case. It is a concern in the NFL that Simpson’s play waned towards the end of the year as his injuries accumulated, since he is not the largest player. However, whichever GM chooses him this year should be protected, almost regardless of how well he performs at the next level, as long as Simpson is not pushed into the top 10.
