The Arizona Cardinals are in a great spot in this year’s NFL draft. They own the third overall draft slot. What isn’t a great spot is how they obtained such a gloriously high draft situation. Nobody wants to lose 14 of 17 games in a season.
as the transaction reports of each NFL club get a signing here and there. Nothing like the slew of players that changed teams two weeks in the first wave.RELATED: CARDINALS FREE AGENCY REACTIONS
Now, the league kinda shifts towards the NFL
draft, which is slated for April 23-25 in Pittsburgh.
Who will the Cardinals select with that third pick? There are whispers going on that Arizona is leaning towards a quarterback.
Not QB Fernando Mendoza, who is projected to be the first overall selection by the Las Vegas Raiders. Nope. These rumors are circulating about Alabama QB Ty Simpson.
Wait, what?
No, really. Out of all the options that the Cardinals will have in front of them, the gossip going around is that Arizona is enamored with taking Simpson, but they are afraid that they will miss out if they wait until they are back on the clock in the second round at pick #34, which is the second slot in Round 2.
NFL Draft insider Daniel Jeremiah attached the Cardinals and newly-installed head coach Mike LaFleur as the best fit for Simpson.
Jeremiah said in an interview with Sports Illustrated:
“Ty Simpson, I think, would fit great in there. We’ll see where he ends up going — if he ends up going in the first round, then that would take that off the table. But pick 34, it’s about right where I have him. So, if he were there at that point in time, I think that would be a really solid pick.”
Currently, Simpson is nowhere near ranked as the third-best player in this year’s draft. Not even close.
Here are Simpson’s rankings on several NFL draft sites:
- The Draft Network: #17
- Tankathon: #33
- WalterFootball: #33
- CBS Sports: #33
- Mock Draft Database: #35
- Draft Countdown: #40
- NFL.com: #40
- Pro Football Focus: #42
- The Ringer: #49
Four of these sites have Simpson going off the board before the Cardinals are on the clock in the second round. So, who knows? This information regarding Simpson going that high isn’t coming from armchair quarterbacks.
Right now, Arizona should have the entire draft board staring at them at pick #3. After Mendoza is gone, the New York Jets should choose one of several EDGE rushers: Rueben Bain of Miami, Texas Tech’s David Bailey, or Arvell Reese of Ohio State, who is the odds-on favorite.
This means the Cardinals can have the two EDGE rushers the Jets don’t decide upon, or a trio of offensive tackles in Francis Mauigoa of Miami, Utah’s Spencer Fano, or Monroe Freeling from Georgia. It just so happens that bringing in a young stud offensive lineman has been the most popular option among Arizona fans since the 14-loss season ended.
However, a key pass rusher to pair with DE Josh Sweat is always on the table. Or take who a lot of draft experts are stating is the best defensive player in the entire draft: safety Caleb Downs from Ohio State. Maybe stud RB Jeremiyah Love of Notre Dame?
This is a certainty: Any one of these names will improve the Cardinals roster immediately, and they are can’t-miss prospects. So, it’s not like GM Monti Ossenfort can make a wrong decision.
If the Cardinals are gun-shy and take Simpson instead with the third overall selection, he will not help the 2026 roster whatsoever. It would be akin to somebody buying a Dodge Challenger Hellcat Redeye, then parking it in their garage and never driving it except to church every Sunday. Simpson won’t play this year if he is with Arizona. The roster has Jacoby Brissett under contract for one more year, and he will duke it out in training camp with seasoned veteran Gardner Minshew for the starting role. The loser will hold the tablet on the sidelines all year.
Simpson will sit and learn from two crafty signalcallers. Which is great for him. But it won’t help this year’s team one iota. Zero, nil, zilch.
Whereas, every other name listed previously as a possibility for the third pick will start Week 1 and earn while they learn about the next level.
On the flipside, at some point, the Cardinals are going to need to bring in a young buck and start grooming him. The fact that the system is set up for him to sit and learn is perfect to draft a guy this year. After the 2026 season, the QB room could then be evaluated to see where the rookie is, then decide what to do next with Brissett and Minshew, who will both become unrestricted free agents unless either signs an extension before the schedule has concluded.
It was thought that Arizona might use that second-round spot and get Simpson. Or with the first pick in Round 3 (#65), they might take LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier or Drew Allar of Penn State, or perhaps Cole Payton from North Dakota State on Day 3.
Jeremiah had a logical take on taking a quarterback later:
“That next group of guys you’re talking about, to me it’s three guys for me which is Drew Allar, Garrett Nussmeier, [and] Carson Beck. Allar and Beck are kind of like pure pocket, big guys. Movement’s not going to be a huge part of what they do. I mean, they can move around a little bit, but that’s not really what they do.”
That would allow the franchise to nab one of the draft’s best gems with that #3 pick.
If the Cardinals coaching staff truly wants Simpson, consider the teams that are locks for drafting a young QB this year. Maybe the Los Angeles Rams would stash the heir-apparent to Matthew Stafford. Are the Atlanta Falcons satisfied with Michael Penix? Pittsburgh Steelers? The Cardinals and the Jets are definite.
Which probably means the Jets are Arizona’s main competitor for Simpson. Okay, New York selects first in Round 2 at pick #33. The Cardinals have the very next slot at #34. Oops. If Simpson is sitting there after Round 1 comes and goes, the Jets will take him for certain. This forces Ossenfort to make a trade and move back into the bottom of the first round if that truly is their choice for quarterback of the future.
But keep in mind, this is strictly when rumors circulate the most. It stirs up interest and lively conversation.
Nobody has quoted Ossenfort about the Cardinals taking Simpson at the third overall pick, or at all, for that matter. Plus, no GM would ever admit or insinuate who they are selecting, except for the team selecting first overall. Rookie contracts are already established, so there isn’t any negotiating ploy going on, and if the Raiders came out and said they were definitely taking Mendoza with the first pick, that information does not hurt their team draft strategy whatsoever.
There is no question that Simpson is a talented quarterback. And he has entrenched himself as the definite second-best QB in this year’s class behind Mendoza. He is a captivating athlete, but has only played 15 games at the college level. He also has an injury concern.
Would Simpson become a welcome member of the Arizona Cardinals? Even if he didn’t play in 2026?
Some believe that Simpson is actually better than Mendoza. On the ESPN show Get Up, one of the hosts, former QB Dan Orlovsky, stated:
“I think Ty Simpson is QB1. Ty Simpson is the best quarterback in this class. I think when you 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.”
Now, keep in mind, this is exactly what Orlovsky was saying just a few years ago about QB Malik Willis from Liberty, leading up to the 2022 NFL draft and touting Willis as a high first-round draft prospect. Willis ended up being taken in Round 3 instead.
It is unlikely that the Cardinals will select Simpson with the #3 pick in Round 1. That would be a shocker to pass on all that wonderful talent if the franchise made that decision.
Now, what could very well happen is for Ossenfort to do what the New York Football Giants did last year. They owned the #3 pick in the 2025 NFL draft and took DE Abdul Carter of Penn State. Needing a quarterback, they targeted Ole Miss signalcaller Jaxson Dart after a tremendous Senior Bowl and Combine showing.
New York could have taken Dart with the third overall pick, but took an exceptional defensive player instead. Then, when the Houston Texans were about to select at pick #25, the Giants made a trade for the slot and nabbed Dart. New York gave up a second and third-round pick in last year’s draft, plus a third-round spot in the 2026 draft. The Giants got the 25th pick and their QB of the future.
If the first round is winding down and the Cardinals start to get cold feet about whether to let the draft play out and see if Simpson is still on the board when they draft at the #34 pick in Round 2, this scenario is much more feasible.
The Cleveland Browns and Dallas Cowboys both have two first-round draft picks this year. Perhaps a trade could be made.
The Browns own the #6 and #24 spots, while the Cowboys have the #12 and #20 positions. Both of these teams’ general managers are well-known for being involved in lots of trades, so this might make the most sense and would give Arizona two first-round draft picks and two much-needed athletes. By the way, the Texans own the #28 spot in Round 1 and may already be on Ossenfort’s speed dial.
The belief among a lot of draft experts is that Simpson won’t be available in the second round.
NFL Insider Adam Schefter stated recently on The Pat McAfee Show:
“The one thing that I can say confidently right now, talking to the front offices, is that I believe Ty Simpson will be a first-round draft pick. That’s all I’m comfortable saying right now.”
Which means, a Jaxson Dart 2.0 scenario just might unfold in the desert.
