Ty Simpson Film Draft Profile

lifeline

College: Alabama
Height/weight: 6’1”/211
Hands: 9 3/8″
Age: 23 years old (by the 2026 season opener)

Important NFL Combine/Pro Day Numbers

40-yard dash: N/A
Vertical bounce: N/A
Long jump: Not applicable
20 yard shuttle: N/A
3-Cone: Not applicable

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University Production (Statistics)

Profile looks like: Brock Purdy

The gameplay is similar: A more athletic Mac Jones (but with the throwing skills of Eli Manning)

Position-specific attributes and levels

NOTE: My usual format (quoting examples for each property) does not display well on the website. Please click this link to access them.

advantage

• He’s extremely calm considering his inexperience; consistently making smart and aggressive throws into tight windows.

• In his first year as an SEC starter, he had a 3% turnover rate, but his run game was lackluster, which is to his credit.

• Typically very good at the short and intermediate portion of the field; threw for 22 touchdowns while being intercepted just twice on passes less than 20 yards in the air; threw the ball across the middle of the field with great confidence.

• Has refined throwing mechanics (footwork, follow-through, etc.) and looks comfortable working for his own good.

• An above-average athlete who can outrun most defensive linemen out to the edge and make accurate throws on the move.

• Boasting a fast processor, he won’t hesitate to rip it off when he sees it.

negative impact

• While his 6-foot-1, 211-pound frame doesn’t automatically disqualify him from being a good NFL quarterback, it’s generally not the kind of frame that will lead to success at the next level.

• Trying to do too much against too many runs, which would be a disaster in the NFL (in terms of his durability) given his small size.

• Not accounting for midfield defenders on most of his interceptions shows his inability to adapt to changing coverages after kickoffs.

• While somewhat expected from a first-time starter, he didn’t always know when to give up the game; he had more sacks (30) than he should have.

• Regressed over the final six games in 2025 (although the 30 drops — tied for third in the FBS — didn’t help his cause).

• One year as a starter in college makes him a high-risk quarterback prospect (given the traditional lack of success for such prospects), even if that year was in the SEC.

bottom line

For much of the past 20 years, the quintessential Alabama quarterback has been able to serve as a game manager because he could rely on a strong run game and a dominant defense. Simpson has neither and has little experience heading into the 2025 season, so he deserves a lot of credit for leading the Crimson Tide to an 11-4 record that includes games against eight ranked opponents. Especially for a first-year starter, Simpson knows exactly when and how to shoot in tight windows. Another of his strengths is his mobility. While he won’t win many games with his rushing ability and definitely won’t disrupt games as a runner, defenders will need to take his scrambling ability into consideration. Simpson is athletic enough for teams to run offenses that rely on boot action and/or trust the quarterback to use his legs to catch third-and-center in critical situations.

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Simpson’s return late in the season needs to be addressed. In the first nine games, he completed 66.9% of his passes, averaged 273.4 passing yards per game, and had a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 21:1. Over his last six games, those numbers have dropped to 60.5, 184.3 and 7-4 respectively. He hasn’t played his best against the best defenses (Oklahoma State x 2, Georgia State, Indiana State). How much of this is due to defenses recognizing Alabama’s inability to have a strong rushing attack, how much of it is due to a lack of game experience, and how much of it is due to him not using his eyes to move defenders? Simpson has the tools to enjoy a long career in the pros, but the list of junior quarterbacks with average arm strength and one year of starting college experience to thrive in the pros is short (no pun intended). He has some first-round traits, but he’s a good example of someone who might need an offensive scheme to make himself look good, rather than emphasizing the offensive scheme and putting the offense on his shoulders.

This article was originally published in The Huddle: A Ty Simpson Film Introduction