Alabama’s Ty Simpson, considered the second-best quarterback prospect in this year’s class, is firmly on the Jets’ radar. Simpson will hold a private workout for the Jets on Friday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
New York added a potential new starter when it reunited with Geno Smith earlier this month, but the 35-year-old is considered a stopgap option for the rebuilding club. The need for a long-term answer remains obvious for the Jets, who have seen recent first-round QB selections Sam Darnold (third, 2018) and Zach Wilson (second, 2021) flame out in their uniform.
Owners of the second overall pick this year, the Jets once looked like frontrunners to draft either Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza or Oregon’s Dante Moore this April. Any chance of that went up in smoke when Moore decided to stay in school in mid-January, leaving Mendoza as the clear choice for the Raiders at No. 1 overall.
Simpson took over as the second passer in this class when Moore returned to Oregon, but it would be a surprise to see the Jets grab him with their first pick and pass on one of the impact defenders available. The Jets also hold the 16th pick, however, and could consider Simpson with that selection.
Simpson was not thought of as a shoo-in first-rounder until recently. But thanks to a strong showing at the Combine, he could go in the top half of Round 1. A team that uses a first-rounder on Simpson would be taking a major gamble, though, considering the recent history of similarly inexperienced college QBs. Anthony Richardson, Mitchell Trubisky and Dwayne Haskins all went in the first round in the past decade despite making 15 or fewer starts in college. None of them lived up to the billing, though it may be too soon to completely write off the 23-year-old Richardson.
Simpson, also 23, was an understudy to Bryce Young and then Jalen Milroe in his first three seasons at Alabama. Finally taking the reins last year, the 6-foot-2, 208-pound Simpson completed 64.5% of passes, threw for 3,567 yards, and tossed 28 touchdowns against five interceptions in 15 games. Simpson earned a second-team All-SEC nod and helped guide his team to a College Football Playoff berth. Alabama’s season ended when Mendoza’s Hoosiers crushed the Crimson Tide, 38-3, in the CFP quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl. The two QBs could face off again soon in the NFL, perhaps in a Raiders-Jets matchup.
if everyone agrees that he is a late first pick, that means if you want him, you have to “overdraft” him and take him in the mid-first.
They could also wait until next year and try to hit on a building block for the future instead of overdrafting a risky quarterback for a coaching staff that’s pretty clearly unlikely to make it past this year.
15 games as a starter? Ask the Colts how that worked out w/ A Richardson.
Extremely different prospects.
Sure different playing styles, but neither have/had much NCAA game experience. It’s well noted Ty bombed out in the later part of the season. How about Trey Lance; another recent example.
Again, basically nothing in common other than the limited starting experience.
2 out of 3 are busts and Ty is next up. You simply can’t rush a 22 year old with very limited experience into a starting NFL job and think they’ll succeed. It’s a proven failed recipe.
Who said anything about rushing him into a starting job? Whoever drafts him should sit him at least most of a year regardless. The Jets got Geno Smith to be their starter to start the season, and as I’ve made clear, I don’t think they should draft Simpson with one of their first round picks or probably at all anyway. But he’s an extremely different prospect than the guys you’re mentioning.
Every 1st round QB is rushed into action; Michael Penix. Do you think the Jets, of all teams, would be patient with/ a QB? Ask Sam Darnold about that.
Jordan Love wasn’t. Mahomes wasn’t. Sam Darnold was the second QB taken in one of the greatest QB drafts of all time. Not the same situation. Simpson might not even go in the first, and he most likely won’t go to the Jets.
Correct. GB and KC are responsible run franchises.
Also both Mahomes and Love started 32 games in college. Big difference.
Love and Mahomes are more exceptions to the rule instead of the rule
Ward and Dart
Williams Daniels Maye Penix Nix, McCarthy got injured and he really hasn’t recovered since so hard to say if he was fully healthy his rookie season would he have challenged Darnold
Young Stroud Richardson
Pickett
Lawrence Wilson, Lance is similar to McCarthy in that injuries derailed him early in his career so he was forced to sit Fields Jones
Burrow Tua Herbert, who was suppose to sit til Tyrone Taylor popped a lung.
Murray D Jones Haskins
Mayfield Darnold Allen Jackson
Trubinsky Watson
Goff Wentz Lynch, missed time with a shoulder injury in pre season and then when he finally was healthy hurt his ankle during his first game and was shut down due to injuries
Winston Mariota
Bortles Manziel Birdgewater
Manuel
Luck Griffin Tannehill Weeden
Newton Locker Ponder Gabbert, Locker sat his rookie year but the dude entered the NFL and left the NFL suffering major injuries
Bradford Tebow
So you’d have to go back almost 15 years to find last time a QB really sat not due to injuries or health
You absolutely nailed it!
Most of those guys were taken much higher than Simpson will go. Try it again with second rounders and you’ll find a lot more guys who sat for at least a large percentage of their rookie years.
Yates at ESPN has Cardinals trading back into 1st at 26 to get SImpson
Davis at NFL has Simpson going 3rd overall to the Cardinals
Reuter at NFL has Simpson going 16th to the Jets
Nobody knows where he will fall, not even you Arty or myself.
But, if he is indeed a first round pick there’s a strong chance he will see playing time his rookie year based on the last 15 years of 1st round QBs
He’s more likely to fall out of the first round completely than go 3 overall, and 18 of the guys you mentioned were either first or second overall. It’s a different ballgame.
18/46 is roughly 40% meaning 60% weren’t first or second overall
Coincidentally, 17 out of the 46 were taken 10th or later in the first including Mahomes and Love its 19/48
I agree 3rd is definitely too high of a projection, but first round mid to late is strong possibility
QB needy teams do QB needy teams things, including gaining the 5th year option over a rookie QBs contract rather than settling for a 4 year contract.
Jordan Love had Aaron Rogers ahead of him and Mahomes had Alex Smith ahead of him after a pro bowls and coming off a few trip to the playoffs. Interesting that they both were in the same draft and Rogers was expected to go number 1 instead of Smith.
When a team drafts in the top 10 of the draft with their own pick i would say they usually dont have an established probowl qb ahead of them and dont have the luxury of sitting a qb like say the raiders this season.
Sure, Mendoza will probably start week one. Simpson almost certainly won’t.
Arty cares more about storylines and less about anything actually tangible, dont expect to have an actual conversation with him that doesnt sound like an ESPN hot take.
Well to be fair…Trey Lance played at North Dakota St…thats quite the jump to the NFL….
#3 pick, right? And by SF which is another well run organization.
Trey Lance only played a full season (more than 10 starts) once at North Dakota State.
Agree with Arty
Better example would be Bears taking Trubinsky who had 13 games as a starter under his belt going 2nd overall
But point still remains that regardless of playing style whether you’re a Richardson/Lance Trubinsky/Simpson type it’s risky to take a guy with severely limited starting experience in college in the first.
The Jets have first pick of round 2 (33 overall). They could easily trade back into the first or simple wait and see if he falls without having to overdraft him at 16. This is good due diligence.
The jets shouldn’t be allowed to pick a Qb in the first round. Not after their miserable 1st picks the last few times.
I know…sign Rodgers again so he won’t sign with the steelers.
I’m not taking a Bama QB. The Jets don’t have the luxury to take that risk. The have the picks to move up one spot make Vegas an offer they can’t refuse. IMO trade for Burrow possibly. Do not take a Bama QB
Alabama QBs (or 99% of college QBs for that matter) should avoid the Jets. No one has the luxury/patience to run the risk of hurting their career with constant staff turnover and lousy ownership
If a trade for Burrow is a real possibility wouldn’t half the league be looking to do that?
Simpson better pray the Jets pass on him….their track record in developing QB’S is sketchy
Hi. Jets fan here. It’s worse than sketchy; it’s non-existent.
glenn is the wrong coach for this guy .. job on the line .. should sign richardson once the colts releases him and cross their fingers the ‘27 draft is better
Also working out were Bart & Homer Simpson.
I hope the Jets take him at 16…that will keep the Browns from grabbing him at 24, where they really need to take WR or OT.
If Simpson can avoid being drafted by The Jets, The Browns, The Cardinals, The Raiders (which should be a lock since they are taking Mendoza). He might have a chance of being better than Mendoza. It’s all going to be determined on the situation he goes to. In that way, I agree with Dan Orvolsky’s take that he has been torn apart about.