Pelissero: Ty Simpson Is the Next Purdy

Tom Pelissero takes a swing at Ty Simpson's draft stock and lands on the comparison that might define how the NFL sees him, Brock Purdy.

Pelissero still believes Simpson is a first-round pick at the end of the day. But talking to teams, he does not have a no-doubt landing spot. The Jets have to think long and hard about it. If they believe Simpson can be the dude, they take him and do not look back. The question is whether he fits Frank Reich's system versus other systems he could run.

The Rams have done a ton of homework on Simpson. But they already traded a first-round pick to get Trent McDuffie, and using the other one on a quarterback who is not playing for a year or two behind Stafford is a tough sell. Pelissero would not rule them out. He would not rule out the Cardinals either, who have a high second-round pick and could move up to the bottom of the first if they believe Simpson is their guy for years to come.

Then he gets to the real question. What is the value of the quarterback in 2026 who fits that system. By that system, Pelissero means the Shanahan-McVay tree. Outside zone, play-action heavy, turning your back to the line of scrimmage, all the hallmarks fans recognize.

Because the comp he keeps hearing from coaches and scouts this week is Brock Purdy.

Pelissero is emphatic. Statistically, Brock Purdy has developed into one of the most efficient quarterbacks in NFL history. That is not hyperbole. Look at the numbers, look at the passer rating. He is unbelievably good when he has been healthy. And he was the last pick in the draft.

Kirk Cousins, fourth round, has succeeded in that system for a long time. Jimmy Garoppolo, not a first-round pick, had major success under Kyle Shanahan. The question becomes whether the NFL has evolved enough schematically, whether that offense has spread far enough across the league, that teams look at Simpson's physical traits and say, if we get a Brock Purdy out of this, we take that at the bottom of the first.

That is the open question Pelissero has been debating with people around the league.

Simpson going in the first round versus sliding a bit because his physical traits may not be on par with other quarterbacks in the class says a lot about where the NFL is going. Purdy, Cousins, and Garoppolo have all shown you do not need A-plus physical traits to succeed in the right scheme.

Whether a team is willing to bet on that truth with a first-round pick is the hinge. Pelissero thinks Simpson goes in the first round. He just cannot tell you where. And the answer to that question, he says, will tell you something about how the entire league is thinking about quarterback play right now.