Former NFL general manager Mike Tannenbaum is pounding on the table for the Pittsburgh Steelers to draft Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson . He thinks the Steelers need to stop kicking the can down the road and finally develop a young quarterback.
“I’m drafting Ty Simpson at 21,” Tannenbaum said on ESPN’s Get Up . “Regardless of Aaron Rodgers ’ decision, he’s gonna be 43 years old in December. He’s a great all-time quarterback, but at this point, he’s a bridge quarterback. We have a first-year head coach now in Mike McCarthy. Go get your own quarterback, develop him, and that should be the foundation for the next 10 years.”
Tannebaum thinks the Steelers should not be hesitant just because they missed on the Kenny Pickett selection in 2022.
“This is not Kenny Pickett , who they drafted 20 overall,” Tannenbaum said. “This is a much more talented player whose biggest knock may be the 15 games he started but has a lot of upside.”
All signs point to the Steelers running it back with 42-year-old quarterback Aaron Rodgers . The four-time NFL MVP has yet to commit to another season, however. Simpson could be the answer to get the Steelers out of quarterback purgatory.
Simpson racked up one season of starting experience with the Crimson Tide, succeeding Jalen Milroe , and scouts have their reservations. Simpson isn’t sure why.
“It’s preposterous how people view me when they haven’t seen me in person and seen what I could do,” Simpson told former NFL signal-caller Chase Daniel .
Simpson was a second-team All-SEC honoree last season, slinging the ball for 3,567 passing yards, 28 touchdowns and five interceptions. He wasn’t at full health during the back half of the campaign. Daniel asked Simpson why people doubt his arm strength, which NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein tabs as “average.”
“That’s a great question,” Simpson said. “Come watch me throw. Everybody will refrain from that from now on. It’s crazy. I wanted to show arm strength, and then, two, show everybody that I could go under center — whether it’s seven-step, five-step, three-step, three-plant, five-plant — just something to where I could do everything. … Everybody (says) I’m not the most athletic guy. And I just laugh that off, too.”
Simpson recently told former NFL head coach Jon Gruden that he feels like he can throw with anybody.
Simpson is the No. 2-ranked quarterback on the NFL Mock Draft Database’s 2026 big board. He’s the No. 30 overall player on that list and is projected to land with Mike McCarthy’s team at No. 21 overall.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now : Former NFL GM Explains Why Steelers Must Draft Ty Simpson
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