One of the most debated questions ahead of the 2026 NFL draft has reared its ugly head.
To draft Ty Simpson or not to draft Ty Simpson, that is the question for the New York Jets.
ESPN’s Rich Cimini provided some information on why that might not be a good idea. Simpson only has 15 career college starts.
“Since 2011, six of the seven first-round quarterbacks with fewer than 17 college starts didn’t pan out in the NFL: Jake Locker (12), Christian Ponder (12), Anthony Richardson Sr. (13), Mitchell Trubisky (13), Blaine Gabbert (13), and Dwayne Haskins (14). The lone exception was Cam Newton (14), the 2015 NFL MVP,” Cimini wrote.
“It would seem counterintuitive for [Darren] Mougey, who has a long-term plan, to take a quarterback with a light résumé in a thin quarterback class,” Cimini added.
Insider Makes the Case for the Jets to Go Get Simpson
Cimini presented one side of the debate, but ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr provided reasons for the Jets to go all in.
In his most recent mock draft, he predicted that the Jets would take the former Alabama passer with the No. 16 overall pick in the first round.
“He cited two reasons: They can ease him in, letting him sit a year behind [Geno] Smith. There’s no guarantee, even with three first-round picks, [that] they will get one of the top quarterbacks in what is expected to be a loaded 2027 draft,” Cimini wrote.
“This notion that next year they’re going to get Arch Manning or Dante Moore. Who knows if they will or they won’t?” Kiper said on a national conference call via Cimini.
The Jets have three first-round picks at their disposal in the 2027 NFL draft. They hold their own, the Indianapolis Colts, and whatever ends up being the better selection between the Dallas Cowboys and the Green Bay Packers.
Another path for the Jets could be trading back into the first round. If the team feels that the No. 2 and No. 16 overall picks are too rich for Simpson, perhaps in the late 20s they could wet their whistle.
The Jets have the draft capital to make that happen. They hold the No. 33 overall pick, the first selection of the second round.
The New York Giants pulled that off last year when they moved up for Jaxson Dart. That move is looking pretty good right now.
A Big Hole in the Plan
Simpson, 23, will turn 24 during his rookie season in the NFL. While he is light on college football experience (15 career starts), he isn’t light on life experience.
He arrived on the Alabama campus in 2022 and stayed four years. Simpson didn’t get a crack as a full-time starter until his final collegiate season in 2025.
The Jets have a QB1 in Smith for the 2026 season. If you select Simpson and the plan is to ride him on the bench, my question is then what?
If there is a realistic path that he doesn’t touch the field during his rookie campaign, then what’s the point of selecting him at all? Now, normally easing a QB into the fold makes a lot of sense, but the Jets are in a unique position.
The 2027 NFL draft looms in the not-so-distant future. That class is expected to be overflowing with quarterbacks. If the Jets are in a position to take one, what do they do? Well, we do have that Simpson fella on the bench who didn’t play last year: I guess we should stick with him.
Do you remember the last time the Jets did that? In 2016, the Jets used the No. 51 overall pick in the second round on Penn State QB Christian Hackenberg. He didn’t play his rookie season, but the intrigue was there with a highly drafted quarterback.
So the Jets opted against taking a QB in the first round in 2017. One of the available options was some guy named Patrick Mahomes, not sure if you heard of him.
You can’t let the mystery box blind your QB decision. If you select Simpson, it can’t affect what you do in the following year’s draft, unless, of course, he proves that he is the guy, but that would require him getting on the field.
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