NFL Draft Propaganda? Top Scouts Say Ty Simpson Isn’t a First-Round Lock

So much of the framing of the upcoming NFL draft, media generated, has been focused on Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson and his alleged competition with Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza as the top passer in the draft class. It’s completely missing the mark.

When you talk to top talent evaluators and NFL team decision makers about this quarterback class, the mystery isn’t in which team could potentially select Simpson in the first round (not happening despite his champions with the NFL’s broadcast partners who really want this to be a narrative to keep people tuned into their draft-night coverage) – it’s how low could he go? 

It’s been far easier for me to find trusted sources who do not have Simpson going in the first round and who don’t even rate him the second or third best quarterback option in this draft than it’s been to find football execs to parrot what certain talking heads are saying about Simpson’s first-round merits.

“Where is that shit coming from?” one general manager, who is well-versed in this quarterback class, questioned. 

“It’s complete propaganda. I don’t know if it’s just because they (some television analysts) have the same agent as this kid, but that’s what it looks like."

Another longtime NFL exec said: “The draft is a made-for-TV event, and that’s a made-for-TV storyline. It’s bullshit. He (Simpson) is QB 4 for me.”

So How Low Could Simpson Go?

Well, this general manager said he preferred Mendoza, Miami’s polarizing Carson Beck (“If you can get past some of the personality stuff I think there’s a potential starting quarterback in there,” the GM said) and LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier (“He created some buzz with his Pro Day," he said. 

"He's a better pro prospect than Simpson."

So is Simpson a lock for the second round?

“A lock … I wouldn’t say a lock,” the GM said. 

“Do you think three or four go in round two? I’m not sure. Maybe not.”

What you can bank on is that those who are trying to turn this into a lingering proposition will be pushing the narrative right up through the draft. You can still grab Under 1.5 QBs in the first round for plus-money (+155 DK) and the Under on Simpson’s draft slot (Pick 24.5) comes in at just -230, more in line with how NFL teams view the scenario.