Steelers can't afford to gamble on Ty Simpson with looming 2027 QB class

Thanks to the NFL's desperate need for more viable starting quarterbacks, teams and media alike will often look past a prospect's flaws if they have enough intriguing traits to work with. Anthony Richardson, Will Levis, Zach Wilson, and Paxton Lynch are just a few of the colossal busts that have been overdrafted in recent memory because of it. The Pittsburgh Steelers had their own version of this with Kenny Pickett just four short years ago.

While that mentality can be catastrophic, the opposite can be just as damaging. Draft analysts have a habit of hyping up the next crop of QBs expected to enter the draft anytime the current group doesn't wow them. After just two QBs were drafted in the first round in 2025, the 2026 class was supposed to blow that number out of the water, according to draftniks, but now it may not even tie the previous year's class.

That's why it's no surprise that NFL draft analyst Todd McShay is already making a case for the 2027 QB class before the 2026 class even gets drafted.

While I believe projecting eight QBs to be selected in the first round next year is rather silly, it does absolutely look like it will be a better class by default. That's why the Steelers should avoid drafting a QB high this year, specifically consensus No. 2 QB Ty Simpson out of Alabama.

The Pittsburgh Steelers should pass on QB Ty Simpson in favor of a more talented option in 2027

The fact that many draft experts can't definitively say that Simpson should be a first-round pick is a red flag by itself, especially in a year where Indiana's Fernando Mendoza is the only sure-fire first-rounder. Add in that he lacks the standout physical traits that teams often bet on when taking a flawed prospect, and it makes the idea of drafting him high a scary one.

The Steelers seem determined to bring back Aaron Rodgers for one more season in 2026, but mock drafts continue to tie them to Simpson for a reason. Since whiffing on Pickett, Pittsburgh has avoided investing another high draft pick in the position, deciding instead to cycle through veterans in hopes of staying competitive.

Rodgers was the most successful attempt yet in terms of his play on the field, but the results at the end of the season remained the same. General manager Omar Khan will have to take another swing at a potential franchise QB eventually, but it should not be Simpson.

There is too much risk involved with drafting a smaller (6'1", 211 pounds), relatively inexperienced prospect at QB with the 21st pick. Next year may end up looking similar to 2026, but at least you can hope for more while running it back with Rodgers or whoever ultimately ends up under center in 2026. Using pick 21 to continue building a foundation for their next franchise passer would be the more responsible move.