NFL executives anonymously tear into Ty Simpson ahead of draft

SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The NFL is a cutthroat business and so is the evaluation process when leading up to the draft.

Although franchises typically always keep their cards close to the vest when it comes to first round picks, several NFL executives are still letting their thoughts be known about former Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson.

At least anonymously.

NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero shared feedback from several members of front offices regarding this year’s quarterback class and some didn’t hold back their thoughts on Simpson.

“The longer you watch him, you feel a little, man” an AFC Executive said in Pelissero’s report. “What’s he going to look like in our league? History’s betting against us here. He gets thrown around. The kid’s not very big, he’s not very gifted. When he gets sacked, it looks like your dog swinging around their squeaky toy.”

Simpson played significantly underweight near the back half of the 2025 season as he dealt with a severe case of gastritis along with several other injuries picked up along the way.

Those bumps and bruises didn’t stop Simpson from putting up an impressive season in his one year as the starter for the Crimson Tide. In 15 games, Simpson passed for 3,567 yards, 28 touchdowns, five interceptions, and completed 64.5% of his passes.

Following the end of the season, Simpson was able to get back above 210 pounds but his size is still a major criticism leading into the draft and played a key factor in his health and performance during the year.

“They’ve tried to get him to 210, and I think he’s really struggled to get there,” an NFC executive said. “I think he played in the low 200s and then he got the crap beat out of him in that offense. All the drop back and struggling to run the ball. But early on, he was really decisive, accurate, he can throw on time he processed quickly — all those things were really, really encouraging, and then he just fell apart physically.”

Another AFC executive took things even further claiming that,” When he walked in our room, he looked like one of our ball boys.”

What’s important to note is that Simpson was never going to capture the hearts of every team picking in the first round. However teams have also been known to down talk certain players in hopes they slip a few picks down into their laps come draft night.

But time will only tell if that will be the case.

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Patrick Dowd is a Reporter for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can follow him on Twitter, via Pat_Dowd77