Dan Orlovsky compares Ty Simpson to Super Bowl quarterback

Former NFL quarterback and current analyst Dan Orlovsky has spent portions of this offseason telling anybody who will listen that Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Ty Simpson is a better prospect than some have suggested. 

During Wednesday's edition of "The Pat McAfee Show," Orlovsky once again expanded on why he is so high on Simpson heading into the 2026 NFL Draft. 

Will Ty Simpson be a "surgical" quarterback in the NFL?

"I think he's surgical throwing, like, real NFL concepts down the field," Orlovsky said about Simpson. "He's phenomenal down in the red zone. When you watch him, when I watch him, I see so much of Brock Purdy. The layered throws, the intermediate game, that ball that's 15, 20 yards down the field, it's consistently in the right place."

Orlovsky previously said that Simpson had produced "significantly more impressive" game film in college than Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza, who seemingly is a lock to go to the Las Vegas Raiders as the No. 1 pick in this year's draft on April 23. Earlier this week, Orlovsky insisted that the perceived "gap" between Mendoza and Simpson in analysts' eyes is not "justified." 

Dan Orlovsky continues to be "very impressed" when evaluating Ty Simpson

"I love how often and consistently he has to throw either between defenders or over defenders," Orlovsky continued while speaking about Simpson. "Because that's real life for high-end quarterbacks in the NFL. There's play-making ability there. There's ownership and control of the line of scrimmage. ...I just am very impressed with his tape." 

In his latest mock draft posted this past Tuesday, ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. predicted that the New York Jets will grab Simpson with overall pick No. 16 next month. However, some think Simpson could slide all the way to the end of, or even out of, the first round of the player-selection process. 

One quarterback-needy team will eventually take a flier on Simpson at some point during the draft. How that club develops the prospect could determine whether or not he ultimately becomes as good as Orlovsky has advertised throughout the winter.