Ty Simpson enters the NFL Draft as one of its more debated quarterback prospects, with evaluators split on his value despite general agreement on his abilities. His projected landing spot ranges from late in the first round to early in the second.

The Alabama quarterback started just one season, a significant concern in an era when most quarterback prospects carry two to four years of starting experience. Simpson performed well early in the 2025 college season before struggling down the stretch.

"I don't think anything about him other than him being a one-year player is supremely polarizing," an AFC executive said. "There's not a good history of it, but I think you've got to take each guy as an individual case. If picked in the 20s, he'll get experience and reps and get legs under him. He's a good kid, a coach's kid, had a lot of good production and success. Maybe not on the same tier as top guys, but he's still a player."

One veteran scout compared Simpson to a blend of Jared Goff and Mac Jones. Evaluators point to the complexity of Alabama's scheme as a factor working in his favor.

"He made a lot of NFL throws," one personnel evaluator said. "Some guys were running a glorified high school offense in college, but [Simpson] was throwing deep in-breakers, corners, deep outs, seams, curls."

Simpson loosely projects himself as a picks 10-through-30 candidate. Positional need could push him into the late first round, though a sufficient number of scouts carry second-round grades to make an early Day 2 selection a realistic outcome.

RealGM's Jeff Risdon has Simpson has his No. 2 quarterback of the class on his quarterback big board, but doesn't have a first round grade for him.