NFL Draft's top QB isn't Fernando Mendoza: Former NFL QB says Ty Simpson is 'QB1' and some teams seem to agree

The 2026 NFL Draft will be kicking off on April 23 and when that happens, the Las Vegas Raiders will open things up by making the first overall pick. The expectation is that the Raiders will use the pick on the best quarterback in the class, and right now, most people seem to think that QB is Fernando Mendoza. 

However, not everyone has the former Indiana QB at the top of the draft class. Former NFL quarterback Dan Orlovsky, who now works at ESPN, thinks that Ty Simpson is actually a better prospect than Mendoza and he laid out his case during an episode of "Get Up" this week. 

"I think Ty Simpson is the best quarterback in this class," Orlovsky said. 

Why Ty Simpson might be better

The 2025 season was Simpson's first year as a starter and he ended up putting up some impressive stats for Alabama: He completed 64.5% of his passes for for 3,567 yards and 28 touchdowns with just five interceptions. As for Mendoza, the Heisman Trophy winner completed 72% of his passes for 3,535 yards and 41 touchdowns with just six interceptions during Indiana's national championship season. 

Orlovsky's main argument for Simpson is that he did more with less while at Alabama. 

"I think when we look at the body of work and what was asked of these two quarterbacks, you have to start with the question, who needed to do more to carry their football team to play well? Ty Simpson and it's not close between those two quarterbacks," Orlovsky said. "Who took more games over throughout the course of the season? Ty Simpson and it's not even close."

Orlovsky also made the case that Simpson's skill set will translate better to being an NFL quarterback. 

"We're trying to see what you are as a player in college and what you're going to be asked to do in the NFL and what translates," Orlovsky said. "I start with, what do you do in moments of panic with the football? Because that's really what separates good to great. I would tell you that Ty Simpson is more consistent in that regard. There's not a ton of moments of panic out of Fernando Mendoza, and then there's moments where he immediately drops his eyes and becomes a runner. Ty Simpson [is] more consistent with that. What guy was asked to do more NFL throws? When I say NFL throws, I'm talking 15, 20, 25 yard in routes, crossing routes, deep corner or sail routes. Ty Simpson, and it's not even close in that regard."

Orlovsky, who spent most of his 12-year career as a backup quarterback, did point out a few things that Mendoza does as well or even better than Simpson. 

"Downfield throws, the posts and the goes, I think they're close," Orlovsky said. "Mendoza throws a lot of go routes, and he's good at it, but I think they're close. RPO, get it out, that's probably what Mendoza's offense was, right? And then I think throwing on the move, they're both relatively equal."

For Orlovsky the biggest argument for Simpson is that he has more of an NFL arm. 

"When it comes to moments of panic and big throws, real NFL throws, I think it's clearly Ty Simpson," Orlovsky said. "I like Mendoza, but I would rather have Ty Simpson at the 15-20 range, than Fernando Mendoza at 1." 

That last line is another part of the argument. Even if you think Simpson is a better quarterback, that doesn't mean you think he should be taken with the first overall pick. Orlovsky clearly feels that Simpson is a much better value in the middle of the first round than taking Mendoza at first overall. 

According to Orlovsky, the big thing holding Simpson's stock down is that he has less college experience than Mendoza. Simpson started just 15 games in his college career compared to 34 for Mendoza. 

"I firmly believe, if Ty Simpson was 6'4" or Ty Simpson had 20-plus college starts, he would be in play at No. 2 for the New York Jets," Orlovsky said back on March 17. "He is very much Brock Purdy to me. If you watch his tape, and you just take everything else away, all you see is big time throws, that is an NFL style throws. ... The things that we watch and demand of NFL quarterbacks. Pinpoint ball placement in the red zone. He's surgical in rhythm and timing."

Simpson's height might be the biggest thing holding him back. He's just 6-foot-1 and over the past 20 years, most quarterbacks who have found any success at that height have been mobile (Russell Wilson and Kyler Murray are two examples). Bryce Young, Drew Brees and Baker Mayfield are also 6-foot-1 or shorter, but you can't count on anyone turning into the next Brees, so turning into Mayfield might be the best bet for someone like Simpson. 

As for Mendoza, at 6-foot-5, he's got a classic QB that NFL front offices seem to love. 

Height does matter at the quarterback position, but at some point, you have to be able to make the throws, which is why Orlovsky seems to infatuated with Simpson. If Orlovsky was an NFL general manager, it's pretty clear who he would be using his pick on. 

Do teams agree with Orlovsky? 

It's one thing for a quarterback turned analyst to make the claim that Simpson is the best quarterback in the class, but do any teams actually agree with that take? According to former NFL general manager Mike Tannenbaum, there are actually several teams who have Simpson higher than they have Mendoza on their draft board. 

Tannenbaum served as the Jets' general manager for seven seasons (2006-12), including two years where New York made it to the AFC title game (2009-10). 

Of course, there's only one opinion that matters and that's the one of John Spytek in Las Vegas. If the Raiders like Mendoza over Simpson, then Mendoza is going to be taken with the first pick, and right now, that seems to be the case. 

New Raiders coach Klint Kubiak seemed pretty excited about the idea of getting Mendoza when he was asked about the Indiana QB at the NFL combine in February. 

"He won a national championship, and that's what you want," Kubiak said. "You want a winner."

If teams do really like Simpson -- and they have him as the top QB on their draft board -- that could create an interesting situation in the first round. There are multiple teams -- like the Cardinals, Jets, Browns and Steelers -- who might be in the market for a QB early in the draft and those teams might be willing to trade up if they think another team might grab Simpson. The Jets and Browns both have two first-round picks, so they certainly have the ammo to get Simpson if they like him enough. 

In our latest round of mock drafts here at CBS Sports, no one really agrees with Orlovsky. All six of our draft writers have Mendoza going to the Raiders with the first overall pick. As for Simpson, our writers are all over the place when it comes to his draft spot. We have four writers who have him going in the first round with teams ranging from the Browns to the Rams to the Steelers. On the other hand, we also have two writers who have Simpson completely dropping out of the first round. 

When the NFL Draft kicks off on April 23 in Pittsburgh, Simpson is certainly going to be one of the most intriguing names to keep an eye on during the first round.