NFL Draft 2026: Ty Simpson may be this year’s ultimate boom or bust proposition

At least one NFL executive is highly skeptical that Simpson has the traits to be a high-end NFL starting quarterback.

“He had limited starts, and he didn’t play all that well at the end of the season,” a veteran front office executive told Between The Hashmarks. “I didn’t see a first-round player. He’s a backup early, and a possible starter down the line. He reminds me a lot of Mac Jones.”

Injuries took a toll on Simpson last season, and he struggled down the stretch, including a disappointing loss to the eventual national champion Indiana Hoosiers in the College Football Playoff.

After passing for 3,567 yards with 28 touchdowns to five interceptions, NFL evaluators are left to wonder if the elite anticipation from the pocket is enough to make up for a disappointing closing stretch and questionable mechanics. Those bets are made riskier by the fact that he started just one collegiate season.

“If we viewed quarterbacks like we do any other position,” the executive noted, “Ty would be a third-round pick. The problem is, there just isn’t any quarterback depth this year.”

For a team needy under center, Simpson represents a high-floor gamble. He has the IQ to manage an offense on Day 1, but whether he has the physical ceiling to elevate a franchise remains the multi-million dollar question.