With the 2026 NFL Draft rapidly approaching, one of the biggest questions in the first round centers on Ty Simpson, the quarterback from Alabama who enters the draft with just 15 games on his collegiate resume.
Some, like ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky, believe Simpson has the potential to be the best overall player in this year’s class, a certified franchise quarterback who should be taken over Fernando Mendoza due to his ceiling. But for others? Well, they cite Simpson’s inexperience, lack of prototypical size, and lack of elite play down the stretch as reasons why the Alabama prospect is more like the 30th-best player in this year’s class than the first.
For The Ringer’s Todd McShay, Simpson actually reminds him of a certain Mr. Irrelevant, Brock Purdy, which may seem like a diss but really isn’t, considering the player the San Francisco 49ers signal caller has developed into as a pro.
“Where would Brock Purdy be, and granted we’re talking about Mr. Irrelevant, I’m just saying, forget the draft picks,” McShay said on The Rich Eisen Show. “Stylistically, profile-wise, size, understanding of the game. I think there’s a lot of, we always try to do an NFL comp, he’s the closest thing to it. And a guy who’s had a lot of success in the league as an NFL starter.”
Since being drafted with the final pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, Purdy has had a Cinderella run in Kyle Shanahan’s offense, becoming a starter down the stretch as a rookie and holding onto that role for every game he’s appeared in since. Considering Purdy signed a five-year, $265 million extension with the 49ers in May of 2025, if Simpson can live up to McShay’s player comp, it will mean he, too, will be one of the very best quarterbacks in the NFL.
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