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Chase Daniel hails Ty Simpson as 'NFL Draft's best kept secret' after Combine

by: Alex Byington03/03/26_AlexByington

There’s little argument that Indiana‘s Fernando Mendoza is the overwhelming favorite to not only be the first quarterback selected in the 2026 NFL Draft, but the first overall pick to the Las Vegas Raiders. The reigning Heisman Trophy winner and national champion QB is as close to a sure-thing to go No. 1 overall as the draft has seen since Joe Burrow and Trevor Lawrence in 2020-21.

But, at least for the quarterback-needy NFL teams outside of Las Vegas, the more pressing question revolves around who will be the second QB off the board and how high they could be selected. If former NFL quarterback Chase Daniel has a say in the matter, there’s only one option: Alabama‘s Ty Simpson.

Simpson turned heads with an impressive showing during last weekend’s 2026 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, and has firmly established himself as a likely first-round selection, with some pundits projecting he could be picked in the Top 15. That’s because, according to Daniel, whichever team selects him could end up with a true diamond in the rough.

“This kid is the NFL Draft’s best kept secret,” Daniel said during Monday’s episode of his film breakdown podcast, The Breakdown, where he evaluated one of Simpson’s throws during Saturday’s on-field workouts. “Alright, here we go, now we have some play-action, now we have the play-action under center sail routes. This is more of my liking, go in, touch a little bit before the hash, throw this ball – it’s called a pylon route, dime. Best throw of the day! This kid is the NFL Draft’s best-kept secret.

“This is what I’m talking about – heavy play action, heavy under center, 1-2-3-4-5-6-7, get in good base. Watch his base right there, … it’s good, one hitch, two hitch, let it roll. This is a deep pylon route which means you’re going to touch the back of the pylon — best throw of the day,” Daniel continued. “That is a dime. That is an NFL dime route. I like the trajectory of the football, I like everything about it. I like that he’s in rhythm. You probably take two hitches because you’re reading the outside corner — there’s another corner route coming with it in this progression, so you have to imagine — all you’re seeing is a receiver on the screen running, (but in a game situation) there’s another corner route coming and then a deep pylon route coming. This is an absolute dime, perfect ball. No notes.”

And Daniel should know. Considered one of the NFL’s most successful backup QBs, the 39-year-old Daniel played for seven different teams across 14 pro seasons (2009-22) after going unselected in the 2009 NFL Draft out of Missouri. You don’t stick around the NFL that long without some serious chops.

Simpson opted to enter the 2026 NFL Draft after just one season as the Crimson Tide’s starting QB. He threw for 3,567 yards and 28 touchdowns to just five interceptions on 64.5% passing.