CHARLOTTE — There's currently some debate about Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson, because we seem contractually obligated to have debate.
But while he might not be the best quarterback in this year's draft class, he seems comfortably slotted into the second spot behind Indiana's Fernando Mendoza, leaving open the question of when a quarterback-needy team might call his name, and how early.
But for all the questions about Simpson, from his size (6-1, 211) to only starting one year in college, he's confident he belongs in these conversations because of where he spent that year, thanks to the "infrastructure" put in place by former coach Nick Saban and running through current Crimson Tide coach Kalen DeBoer now.
In 15 starts last season, Simpson completed 64.5 percent of his passes, throwing for 3,567 yards, with 28 touchdowns and just five interceptions. He also led Alabama to an 11-4 record and to the college quarterfinals, where they lost to Mendoza and the Hoosiers.
"First off, I feel like I'm ready. I'm a franchise quarterback," Simpson said at the scouting combine. "Alabama prepares you most for the NFL, and with the infrastructure that they had. I run an NFL-type system, and it's definitely prepared me for saying those long play calls, saying those checks, making sure that I get us in the right protection."
Simpson didn't start until his final season at Alabama, but believes the experiences he stacked up there prepared him. In his freshman year, 2022, he got to develop behind a certain Mr. Bryce Young, who went on to become the No. 1 overall pick of the Panthers. But over the next two seasons, he was behind Jalen Milroe and got to work against a parade of defensive stars every day when he was running the scout team in practice.
"Going on scout team, I got Will Anderson, Dallas Turner, Henry To'oTo'o," Simpson said. "I've got Kool-Aid (McKinstry) on one side, I've got Terrion (Arnold) on the other side. There are a number of first- and second-round draft picks that I went against and who I was in the locker room with.
"So like I said, the Alabama locker room was as close as a locker room in the NFL as you can get."
But his NFL fit has been a hot point of discussion, as some pundits have tried to put him on equal footing with the presumed No. 1 pick Mendoza (possibly for the sake of stirring the pot).
NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah said Simpson was the second quarterback on his list, but wasn't certain what that meant in terms of his draft status.
"It's not really so much is he No. 2, it's just how high of a pick is he worthy of?" Jeremiah said. "Is he worthy of a first-round pick? And when you have the limited number of starts that he has, teams are going to have to get comfortable with that. And one of the ways they can do that is by watching him move around and throw, and getting a better feel for his physical skill set.
"And then, probably more importantly, just meeting with him and seeing how he understands the game. Son of a coach. I think he'll do really well in that environment. But to try to get beyond that start issue, which is a real thing. So I think he's got a lot at stake as we go through the rest of the process."
Take a look at some of the best shots of Panthers quarterback Bryce Young.
The Carolina Panthers take on the Dallas Cowboys on Oct. 12, 2025 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC. (Photo by Helen McGinnis/Carolina Panthers)
The Carolina Panthers take on the Dallas Cowboys on Oct. 12, 2025 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC. (Photo by Laura Wolff/Carolina Panthers)
The Carolina Panthers face the New York Jets on Sunday, Oct. 19, 2025 at Met Life Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ.
The Carolina Panthers face the New York Jets on Sunday, Oct. 19, 2025 at Met Life Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ.
The Carolina Panthers face the Green Bay Packers Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025 at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, WI.
The Carolina Panthers face the Green Bay Packers Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025 at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, WI.
The Carolina Panthers face the Green Bay Packers Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025 at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, WI.
The Carolina Panthers face the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, Nov. 9, 2025 at Bank Of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers take on the New Orleans Saints on Nov. 9, 2025 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers face the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA.
The Carolina Panthers face the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA.
The Carolina Panthers face the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA.
The Carolina Panthers face the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA.
The Carolina Panthers face the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA.
The Carolina Panthers face the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA.
The Carolina Panthers face the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA.
The Carolina Panthers face the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA.
The Carolina Panthers face the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA.
The Carolina Panthers face the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football on Monday, Nov. 24, 2025 at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, CA.
The Carolina Panthers face the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football on Monday, Nov. 24, 2025 at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, CA.
The Carolina Panthers face the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football on Monday, Nov. 24, 2025 at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, CA.
The Carolina Panthers face the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football on Monday, Nov. 24, 2025 at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, CA.
The Carolina Panthers face the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football on Monday, Nov. 24, 2025 at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, CA.
The Carolina Panthers face the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football on Monday, Nov. 24, 2025 at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, CA.
The Carolina Panthers face the Los Angeles Rams Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025 at Bank Of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers face the Los Angeles Rams Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025 at Bank Of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers face the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers face the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025 in New Orleans, LA.
The Carolina Panthers face the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025 in New Orleans, LA.
The Carolina Panthers face the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025 at Bank of American Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers face the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025 at Bank of American Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025 at Bank of American Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025 at Bank of American Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025 at Bank of American Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025 at Bank of American Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025 at Bank of American Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers face the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025 at Bank of American Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers face the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025 at Bank of American Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers face the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025 at Bank of American Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers face the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025 at Bank of American Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers face the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025 at Bank of American Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers take on the Seattle Seahawks on Dec. 28, 2025 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC. (Photo by Helen McGinnis/Carolina Panthers)
The Carolina Panthers take on the Seattle Seahawks on Dec. 28, 2025 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC. (Photo by Helen McGinnis/Carolina Panthers)
The Carolina Panthers face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, FL
The Carolina Panthers face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, FL
The Carolina Panthers face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, FL
The Carolina Panthers face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, FL
The Carolina Panthers face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, FL
The Carolina Panthers face the Los Angeles Rams in the Wild Card round on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2025 at Bank of American Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers face the Los Angeles Rams in the Wild Card round on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2025 at Bank of American Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025 at Bank of American Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
