Besides Fernando Mendoza and his very likely arrival to the Las Vegas Raiders with the first overall pick, there isn't a clear-cut 'other' first-round prospect. Alabama's Ty Simpson has been thrown in the first round in various mock drafts this offseason, but in others, he's in the second round.
Being that he plays the most important position in sports, there is a realistic chance that a team will make the choice. Simpson isn't a plug-and-play prospect like Mendoza, though, so any team that takes him will have to have some sort of developmental plan in place.
Let's dive into three teams that could make Simpson a first-round pick this year.
These 3 teams could make Ty Simpson a first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft
Arizona Cardinals (trading up from pick 34)
The Arizona Cardinals own the third overall pick in this year's draft, which would be way too high for Simpson, a fine prospect who can win from the pocket, but does have size and ceiling limitations. Simpson profiles as an average quarterback if he reaches his ceiling, but evaluators have gotten quarterbacks wrong before.
The Cardinals could view a Simpson selection a lot better if they found a trade partner in the late-20s or early-30s to move up with. The Miami Dolphins have a ton of roster holes and own the 30th overall pick. Moving down four slots to allow the Cardinals to move up would net Miami another draft selection and could still allow the Dolphins to get a player they wanted at pick 30.
Pittsburgh Steelers (pick 21)
The Pittsburgh Steelers could simply rip the Band-Aid off and take Simpson at pick 21. Even if Aaron Rodgers returns, this could happen, and perhaps should happen. The one benefit of Rodgers potentially returning for a season is that it does give the front office another year of time to draft and try to develop someone.
If Rodgers doesn't return, Pittsburgh may be in an even more urgent spot to find a franchise passer, but in either scenario, they have to set the foundation for a long-term option. Simpson's ceiling might be around that 20th overall pick, and given that he plays quarterback, him sliding into the first round really wouldn't be a huge shock.
If Pittsburgh plans on actually competing for Super Bowls, at least making an effort to find a franchise quarterback is a start.
Cleveland Browns (trading up from pick 39)
The Cleveland Browns do have two first-round picks this year. And to be fair to the front office, last year's rookie class may have been the best in the NFL, so a ton of credit goes to General Manager Andrew Berry for that work.
With Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders set to 'compete' for the starting job, getting another potentially viable player in this room would be a wise idea. The Browns quarterback situation is so dire that they should be in the mindset of drafting multiple quarterbacks every single draft until they land on someone.
Cleveland did this last year with Sanders and Dillon Gabriel, so that process wasn't bad. Trading up at least seven spots to get to pick 32 could be where the Browns target. The Seattle Seahawks own that 32nd pick and have limited capital, so they might be very much willing to recoup some extra picks in a trade down scenario.
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