“I Want to Be a First-Round Draft Pick”: Ty Simpson Revisits Staying With Nick Saban’s Alabama in 2022

Players in every draft class tend to make plans for themselves well before the masses ever begin to notice. Now that he’s officially completed his fourth consecutive season as a member of the Alabama Crimson Tide, which is a rare feat in and of itself in today’s age, the same is true for Ty Simpson.

Simpson was able to salvage the Tide’s season by delivering an overall record of 11-3. And while that was seemingly more than enough to get them into the College Football Playoffs, according to Simpson himself, the only thing that matters now is what’s ahead. And in his mind, that would be the 2026 NFL Draft.

While chatting with Patrick Surtain II and Terrion Arnold, Simpson informed the NFL veterans of a previous conversation that he had with Nick Saban, where he simply noted that “I just want to be a first-round draft pick, coach… I want to be the best that I can be, and I want to get developed and make sure that I make the most out of my ability when I’m in the league.”

In the eyes of Simpson, the decision to remain at Alabama for four consecutive seasons was a “no-brainer” decision because “…even though Jalen [Milroe] was coming back, I could still accomplish everything that I wanted.” In explaining that he was able to learn from the likes of both Milroe and the current QB1 for the Carolina Panthers, Bryce Young, Simpson proclaimed that “I thank god every day that I made that decision.”

Simpson led the SEC conference in everything from passing attempts and completions to passing yards and passing touchdowns. So even though he was never a front-runner for the Heisman trophy, the 2025 season could still prove to be a productive one for the Alabama QB.

If the Tide were somehow able to capture this year’s national championship, then Simpson’s odds of receiving a night-one name call would skyrocket, as every national champion throughout the past several seasons has seen at least one of their primary weapons be selected in the first round of the NFL Draft just a few months later.

There is still plenty of meaningful football that needs to be played beforehand, but at the end of the day, the 23-year-old is just a few passes away from becoming the living legend that he always knew himself to be. He’s officially made the most of the opportunity that was presented to him, and now he’s just a few weeks away from reaping the rewards.