{"id":558280,"date":"2026-03-24T21:07:08","date_gmt":"2026-03-24T21:07:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/558280\/"},"modified":"2026-03-24T21:07:08","modified_gmt":"2026-03-24T21:07:08","slug":"ty-simpson-is-the-best-qb-in-2026-nfl-draft-dan-orlovsky","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/558280\/","title":{"rendered":"Ty Simpson is ‘the best QB’ in 2026 NFL Draft: Dan Orlovsky"},"content":{"rendered":"

After Fernando Mendoza was named the Heisman Trophy winner<\/a> and won the national championship<\/a> at Indiana last season, you\u2019d think he\u2019d be the consensus best quarterback in the draft.<\/p>\n

Not to Dan Orlovsky.<\/p>\n

On Monday, Orlovsky appeared on ESPN\u2019s \u201cGet Up\u201d<\/a> and explained why he thinks Alabama\u2019s Ty Simpson is actually the best signal-caller of the 2026 class.<\/p>\n

For the former NFL quarterback, it comes down to Simpson doing more with less and making more \u201creal NFL throws\u201d than Mendoza.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think when we look at the body of work and what was asked of these two quarterbacks, you have to start with the question, who needed to do more to carry their football team to play well? Ty Simpson and it\u2019s not close between those two quarterbacks,\u201d Orlovsky said.<\/p>\n

Still, that doesn\u2019t mean he believes Simpson should go No. 1 overall to the Raiders. He just thinks a team that drafts Simpson lower in the first round will get more bang for its buck.<\/p>\n

And he does think Mendoza and Simpson are \u201cclose\u201d on downfield throws, go routes and RPOs.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen it comes to moments of panic and big throws, real NFL throws, I think it\u2019s clearly Ty Simpson,\u201d Orlovsky said. \u201cI like Mendoza, but I would rather have Ty Simpson at the 15-20 range than Fernando Mendoza at 1.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"FernandoFernando Mendoza sparked an undefeated season for Indiana in 2025 where the Hoosiers won the national championship. AP<\/p>\n

The claim sparked some criticism that Orlovsky was being paid by agencies to damage Mendoza\u2019s draft stock.<\/p>\n

He shot down those accusations<\/a> on Tuesday in an appearance on the \u201cPat McAfee Show,\u201d even saying that not everyone thinks Mendoza is QB1.<\/p>\n

Dan Orlovsky responds to claims that he prefers Ty Simpson to Fernando Mendoza because of his CAA affiliation.<\/p>\n

“There’s no ulterior motive behind this”pic.twitter.com\/S5Eh4igxSa<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) March 24, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not nearly important enough to CAA financially for them to pay me to say something about a guy who might be the 20th pick in the draft,\u201d he said. \u201cThere\u2019s no ulterior motive behind this.\u201d<\/p>\n

Much of the allure of Mendoza over Simpson is that Mendoza has more starting experience. Additionally, he stands at 6-foot-5 to Simpson\u2019s 6-foot-1.<\/p>\n

In his first year as a starter this season with the Crimson Tide, Simpson passed for 3,567 yards and 28 touchdowns and only had five picks. He added 93 rushing yards, a low total for someone his size.<\/p>\n

In previous years, Simpson backed up current Seahawks quarterback Jalen Milroe.<\/p>\n

Mendoza, meanwhile, has two straight years as a starter between Cal and Indiana. Mendoza totaled 3,535 yards, 41 passing touchdowns and six interceptions, and won the Heisman with nearly 1,000 more points than second-place finisher Diego Pavia.<\/p>\n

Still, if Orlovsky had his pick, he\u2019d choose Simpson.<\/p>\n

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