When the 2026 offseason officially kicks off, every football fan knows that landing a quarterback will be high on the Pittsburgh Steelers' to-do list. Since the retirement of Ben Roethlisberger after the 2021 season, every stopgap quarterback option has fallen short—including future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers.
General manager Omar Khan and assistant GM Andy Weidl have yet to take their big swing in the NFL Draft since taking front office positions after the 2022 draft. This could be the year Khan looks to erase the ugly Kenny Pickett stamp left by former GM Kevin Colbert with his parting first-round selection, as the team has a painfully obvious need at the QB position.
Unfortunately, the top quarterback prospects ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft aren't finished products. And the QB the Steelers might be most likely to land in Round 1 has one major red flag.
History suggests the Pittsburgh Steelers may want to steer clear of Alabama QB Ty Simpson
While there is plenty of time for quarterback prospects to rise and fall on Pittsburgh's draft board, Ty Simpson is a name that has been linked to the Steelers in early mock drafts. The quarterback for the Alabama Crimson Tide is expected to be one of the top three signal-callers in the draft this year, and he could land within striking distance on draft day for Khan to make his move.
There's a lot to like about Simpson. The redshirt junior possesses quality arm strength to drive the football into tight windows, excellent pocket awareness, and a quick processor to read and make plays with the football. He's also coming from the highest level of NCAA competition in the SEC.
But one thing Simpson doesn't have is experience.
Despite being on Alamba's roster for four seasons, Simpson has just one year of starting experience in 2025. Before this, the young quarterback threw only a combined 50 passes in his previous three seasons.
Simpson's outstanding 2025 campaign will be enough for many talent evaluators to ignore his lack of starting experience at the collegiate level, but there is a long list of busted quarterbacks who had just one year of starting experience in college.
In recent years, names like Anthony Richardson, Trey Lance, and Zach Wilson come to mind—three first-round quarterbacks with excellent arm talent who looked lost when they got to the NFL. If you go back further, first-round picks like Mitch Trubisky, Dwayne Haskins, JaMarcus Russell, and Josh Rosen offer even more reason to worry about drafting a one-year wonder.
On top of Simpson's lack of starting experience in college, he's also coming from a program that has aided quarterbacks to impressive stats over the years. While we need to be careful not to 'helmet scout', the last few Alabama quarterbacks are turning out to be average quarterbacks, at best. The Miami Dolphins may look to replace Tua Tagovailoa during the 2026 offseason, while Jalen Milroe might never be a real option as an NFL quarterback.
Bryce Young, the 2023 first overall pick, has had some big moments early in his career, but he was also benched for a stretch last season. He might be the best example of this working out, but he was also considered a better prospect than Simpson coming out, and he had two full seasons of starting experience at Alabama before declaring for he draft.
Every quarterback evaluation is different, and each one is tricky. Getting it right is essential for the Pittsburgh Steelers. I'm not suggesting that Omar Khan remove Ty Simpson as a first-round candidate in the 2026 NFL Draft, but history suggests this one-year wonder has high bust probability. The Steelers' front office better do their homework.