INDIANAPOLIS — The new head coach rattled off question after question for the incoming rookie quarterback who some believe could be the Pittsburgh Steelers’ first-round pick.
Footwork. Four verticals. Two-minute drill. Steelers coach Mike McCarthy and Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson broke down each of those fundamentals, passing concepts, game situations and more during a formal meeting at the NFL Scouting Combine this week.
“(He was) bringing up scenarios that he’s had in his career to where they’re crucial,” Simpson remembers. “Like what would you do in that situation, right?
“Whether I got their question right or wrong, it was still cool to realize, ‘Hey, this is what happened. This is the answer I was looking for. This is why.’ And we would just bounce ideas back and forth to each other.”
On April 23 during the NFL Draft, the roles will be reversed. McCarthy and the Steelers will face an endless series of questions: Do they want to select a receiver — and move up to get one? Do they want to continue building in the trenches with a defensive tackle? Do they pick a corner to start opposite Joey Porter Jr.? Or maybe a safety to round out the secondary? What if Penn State’s Olaivavega Ioane is there at 21; would they go with yet another first-round lineman?
From there, the draft will spiral into an endless flowchart of possibilities. But really, based on the obvious long-term need at quarterback, it all starts with one question: Do the Steelers want Ty Simpson or not?
A year ago at this time, the NFL world believed the first-round QB options would be far more numerous. But a once-promising QB class fell apart, as contenders have either decided to return to school (Texas’ Arch Manning and Oregon’s Dante Moore), failed to meet preseason hype (LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier and Penn State’s Drew Allar) or both (South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellers).
In that way, at least in the first round, it’s appears to be Simpson or pass. (Nussmeier is the next player in most rankings, but he’s currently expected to be drafted on Day 2).
One of the most important factors in the Simpson conversations is experience — or, really, lack thereof. His entire college resume is just one season (15 total starts). In the last decade, only three other quarterbacks have been drafted with 15 starts or fewer: Dwayne Haskins, Mitchell Trubisky and Anthony Richardson.
“I feel like I’m ready,” Simpson said. “I’m a franchise quarterback.”
Simpson continued: “Alabama prepares you most for the NFL, and with the infrastructure that they had, and the guidance from Coach (Nick) Saban, Coach (Kalen) DeBoer, Coach (Ryan) Grubb, all the coordinators that I had before. 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.
“Also, everybody talks about my starts, but I played in other games besides that, and I played against really good NFL players. I think about my freshman year, right? Learning from the No. 1 overall pick and Heisman Trophy winner (Bryce Young). On defense, going on scout team, I got Will Anderson, Dallas Turner, Henry To’oTo’o, I got Kool-Aid McKinstry on one side, I got Terrion (Arnold) the other side. There’s a number of first- and second-round draft picks that I went against and who I was in the locker room with.”
Beyond the lack of experience, the Steelers have to grapple with Simpson’s uneven season. Early in 2025, the 6-foot-2 quarterback showed so many flashes of why he could be a first-round pick. His dad, Jason, is the longtime Tennessee-Martin head coach. Ty considers his father his “best friend” and, through his first nine or so college starts, processed the game like a coach’s son. He showed top-tier accuracy, displayed good footwork and used his mobility as an asset. He responded to a Week 1 loss by leading Alabama to an eight-game winning streak. During that entire nine-game stretch, he completed 66.9 percent of his passes with 21 passing touchdowns, two rushing touchdowns and one interception.
Down the stretch, however, the warts appeared. Mobility turned to happy feet, and his accuracy was overshadowed by some poor decision-making. During a four-game stretch before the College Football Playoff, the Crimson Tide went 2-2 and Simpson’s completion percentage dipped to 58.3 with five touchdowns and four interceptions.
His play steadied a bit during a 232-yard, two-touchdown win in the first round of the College Football Playoff against Oklahoma. However, his college career ended in a quarterfinal loss to Indiana, the eventual national champion. Hoosiers defensive back D’Angelo Pond put a hit on Simpson that cracked his rib late in the first half. The QB had completed 12 of 16 passes for only 67 yards to that point.
“I definitely think I’ve got to play better,” Simpson said. “I’ve got to have accountability in that. I’ve got to make sure that we win those big-time games.
“I think that this kinda happens sometimes in the sense of, right, like we play better teams. They had better schemes, right? And we just gotta make it simple. We gotta make the easy plays easy, gotta stick to what we’re good at.”
Should Aaron Rodgers choose to return next season, Simpson would have the benefit of sitting for a year and learning behind a future Hall of Fame quarterback. Theoretically, the fact Simpson wouldn’t have to play right away could help his cause. Still, based on conversations at the combine, the lack of experience appears to be something the Steelers would strongly factor into their evaluation.
Simpson know how he feels about them.
“I love Coach McCarthy, love the Steelers,” Simpson said. “I love those guys, and I’m super excited to get to know them.”
Now the Steelers need to make their first big decision of the draft: Do what it takes to get Simpson, or move on to the sprawling list of other first-round options?