NFL draft scout Matt Miller isn’t sold on Alabama signal-caller Ty Simpson ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft.
Miller was recently a guest on “The Rich Eisen Show” this week, where he gave his thoughts on Simpson, who played his sole season as a starter with the Crimson Tide last year.
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Miller explained that he believes Simpson’s small college sample size, paired with his lack of “elite physical traits,” doesn’t bode well for his first-round draft status.
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“I’m still not sold on Ty Simpson,” Miller said starting at 0:15. “I’m just waiting to have that conversation where someone tells me I’m wrong and then explains why. But I look at a quarterback who started 15 games in college and doesn’t have those elite physical traits: 6’1”, 210 pounds. The first nine games of the year were great, but you get into SEC competition, and the final six were not good at all.
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“And yes, he was banged up, and yes, the offensive line wasn’t great this year, but Ty Simpson’s a really interesting quarterback conversation because do you play him immediately because he needs more experience and he needs more reps, or do you hold him back because he doesn’t have that experience?”
Miller also doesn’t believe Simpson will get drafted by either the New York Jets at No. 2 or the Arizona Cardinals at No. 3. He feels Simpson might ultimately slide down to Round 2.
ESPN’s NFL draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. currently has Simpson going to the New York Jets with the No. 16 pick in his latest mock draft.
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Ty Simpson looks to shut down naysayers in his NFL debut
Simpson played all four seasons of his collegiate football career with Alabama. While he saw sporadic playing time in seasons past, he finally got the starting nod in 2025 with Alabama, in which he threw for 3,567 yards, 28 touchdowns, and just five interceptions.
He was named Second-Team All-SEC that season, in which he led Alabama to an 11-4 record and a bowl game appearance. Although Simpson has some amicable collegiate accomplishments, his lack of experience and underwhelming performances against elite SEC competition have sparked concern amongst critics after he declared for the NFL Draft back in January.
With plenty of quarterback-needy teams around the league, Simpson is sure to get his shot at competing for the starting role with one of them. With that opportunity, perhaps the 23-year-old can silence his critics once and for all.
Edited by Brad Taningco
