NFL executives react to stunning Fernando Mendoza, Ty Simpson draft takes

Former NFL quarterback/current analyst Dan Orlovsky and former NFL general manager Mike Tannenbaum generated headlines when they said earlier in March that they had learned that multiple NFL teams view Alabama Crimson Tide star Ty Simpson and not Fernando Mendoza of the Indiana Hoosiers as "the best quarterback" in this year's draft class. 

NFL Network draft analyst and insider Daniel Jeremiah later shared he had not spoken with anybody who had Simpson rated ahead of Mendoza. For a piece published on Monday, NFL insider Jason La Canfora of SportsBoom US spoke with NFL executives about a debate that may truly only be happening on certain television programs rather than behind the scenes among coaches and other personnel.

Ty Simpson "way more of a project than a prospect?"

"What is the media’s fascination with Ty Simpson?" an unnamed general manager asked La Canfora. "He is way more of a project than a prospect, but I can't turn on the TV without somebody talking about him."

ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr., Todd McShay of The Ringer and Matt Miller of ESPN are among the numerous analysts who believe the Las Vegas Raiders will make Mendoza the draft's first pick on the night of April 23. While some have linked Simpson with the New York Jets, Miller thinks the Jets may not take the polarizing signal-caller until they are called to spend the first pick of the draft's second round. 

The Pittsburgh Steelers are allegedly preparing to pass on grabbing Simpson in the first round. It's unclear if the Cleveland Browns are a realistic landing spot for Simpson this spring. 

Is Fernando Mendoza seen as a generational prospect? 

"Is he a generational quarterback prospect... no," one general manager said about Mendoza while speaking with La Canfora. "Would I ever consider taking Simpson over him if I needed a quarterback? That’s not even a question."

Meanwhile, an unnamed longtime NFL personnel executive told La Canfora that the Raiders will be "making the decision I would expect them to make" by drafting Mendoza due to their need for a long-term franchise quarterback. 

"But if you are asking me, is this the kind of prospect whose body of work suggests he is the consensus best player in the draft, and a prospect the caliber of which he is essentially untouchable, the way a Joe Burrow or Andrew Luck, or even Trevor Lawrence was? Of course not," that executive added about Mendoza.