Dan Orlovsky responds to conspiracy theory about Fernando Mendoza, Ty Simpson draft take

Former NFL quarterback and current analyst Dan Orlovsky has become a subject of criticism after he controversially said that he thinks Alabama Crimson Tide star Ty Simpson and not Fernando Mendoza of the Indiana Hoosiers "is the best quarterback" in this year's draft class. 

As Chris Franklin of NJ Advance Media and Brandon Contes of Awful Announcing pointed out, some have suggested that Orlovsky's take may have something to do with the fact that both he and Simpson are represented by Creative Artists Agency. During Tuesday's edition of "The Pat McAfee Show," Orlovsky responded to such claims. 

Dan Orlovsky not "working" for CAA regarding Ty Simpson's future

"I see a lot of the things that get said and it’s a don’t-address-them-all type of thing," Orlovsky explained. "But the agents work for us, not the other way around. Just so everybody knows, they are employed by us. Respectfully, that’s how the business model is. CAA is a very big agency. They have a lot of people. That’s all I’ll say on that." 

Fellow ESPN personality Mel Kiper Jr. is among the many noteworthy members of the NFL community who have made it known they strongly disagree with Orlovsky's opinion about the advertised top two quarterbacks in this year's draft class. While the Las Vegas Raiders are expected to make Mendoza the first overall pick of the draft on April 23, some have wondered if Simpson will fall out of the first round of the player-selection process. 

Dan Orlovsky has no "ulterior motive" for Ty Simpson, Fernando Mendoza ranking

"I’m not nearly important enough to CAA financially for them to pay me to say something about a guy who might be the 20th pick in the draft," Orlovsky continued. "I don’t make enough money for them to pay me money to say that. But people can think what they want. …There is no ulterior motive behind this." 

It seems as if Orlovsky won't be backing down from his Mendoza-Simpson take anytime soon. Whichever team ultimately takes a flier on Simpson will hope that it helps prove Orlovsky right at some point down the road.