A day ahead of the NFL Draft, Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson remains one of the most intriguing prospects as analysts debate about whether it is worth using a first-round pick to draft him.
For what it’s worth, legendary former college football coach Nick Saban, who recruited Simpson and coached the young quarterback before he ever became the Crimson Tide’s starter, believes Simpson needs time to develop into an NFL QB, regardless of where he goes in the draft.
“I think Ty Simpson is a guy that didn’t play as much in college as a lot of these quarterbacks as they developed. So he’s only played, what, 15 games or whatever. And I think maturity would be the word that I would say is important in the development of his game,” Saban said on the ‘Pat McAfee Show’. “I think he can throw it well enough. I think he’s athletic enough. decision-making, processing, drifting in the pocket. I mean, things that you can improve on with experience because maturity is nothing more than making the right decision at the right time, and that comes with experience and repetition. He doesn’t have enough of that, but he will get it, and I think be a very good player, but he needs to go someplace where he has a chance to develop and not play right away. That’s just my opinion.”
“I think Ty Simpson can throw it well enough and he’s athletic enough..
There’s things he can improve on with experience and he needs to go some place where he has a chance to develop” ~ Coach Saban #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/tRSlqYyphz
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) April 22, 2026
Simpson technically played in 31 games in his college career, but the first 16 were effectively in mop-up duty or were otherwise not notable. He turned heads, however, as Alabama’s starter in 2025, when he played through injury and recorded 3,567 passing yards, 30 total touchdowns, and only 5 interceptions.
Widely considered the second-best quarterback in the draft, Simpson has been projected as a late first-round or early second-round selection.
The NFL Draft begins tomorrow at 8 p.m. ET.
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