There's a 'Chance' Cardinals QB Target Falls in Draft

So much of the noise building around the Arizona Cardinals and what could come of light in the 2026 NFL Draft is predicated around the quarterback position, and to some degree it makes sense.

The Cardinals pulled the Kyler Murray plug after seven years in Arizona, leaving a vacancy for their franchise quarterback spot moving into the future. While Jacoby Brissett is poised to be their bridge quarterback through next season, no true long-term answer has been found.

Some believe the Cardinals could find that in Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Ty Simpson, who is expected to go somewhere in the late first/early second round. Simpson's been a popular pick for Arizona through mock draft season, though time will ultimately tell if the Cardinals want this to be a true pairing.

If so, they could see Simpson slide — and maybe further than expected.

The Athletic's NFL Draft guru, Dane Brugler, appeared on Arizona Sports' 98.7 earlier this week and suggests Simpson could in fact be available in rounds two or three of festivities.

"He does do a lot of NFL things. I think the way he navigates the pocket. You watch the first six games of the year, you think, ‘This is an NFL starter. This is someone we want on our team.’ Then you look at the back half of the year, you just can’t ignore that part of it," Brugler said (h/t Tyler Drake).

"When the run game wasn’t going, the offensive line wasn’t holding up, a lot more was put on the quarterback to get things done. It was a lot of mixed results from Ty Simpson. In my opinion, I think he’s a second-round player. I think there’s a chance we go into Friday night of draft weekend with Ty Simpson still on the board.”

The Cardinals own the third overall pick in the first round but are highly expected to address another position such as edge rusher or right tackle. Trading down also appears to be an option for Arizona.

Their next pick is at No. 34, the second pick in Round 2. Arizona is highly thought to be interested in packaging that pick with more capital to move back into the first round, somewhere in the 20's, to take Simpson.

Yet if Brugler's belief's are anything close to reality, they may not need to move up the board at all for Simpson.