Ty Simpson has done more than hold his own this preseason. He’s chipped away at the idea that Fernando Mendoza was in a different class altogether.
That was the easy storyline entering the 2026 NFL Draft: Mendoza as the clear-cut No. 1 pick for the Las Vegas Raiders, the Heisman winner and national champion, the polished face of a franchise. Simpson, taken 13th overall by the Los Angeles Rams, was the surprise selection - the kind of pick that drew raised eyebrows because he had only one year of starting experience at Alabama.
But by the end of the preseason, the picture looked a lot less lopsided.
A side-by-side look at their numbers tells the story. Simpson finished 47 of 60 for 382 passing yards, three touchdowns, no interceptions and a 109.9 passer rating. Mendoza went 25 of 45 for 240 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions and a 59.5 passer rating.
The Rams’ rookie looked sharper, steadier and far more in command. Mendoza, by contrast, played like a rookie.
That matters even more when you consider the situations each quarterback was working in. Simpson’s preseason reps came in a Rams setup that barely used starters or even many notable backups.
Stetson Bennett started the first two games, and Los Angeles leaned almost entirely on rookies, practice-squaders and roster cuts in the finale. Simpson was operating with little help, often behind a practice-squad offensive line, and he still kept producing.
Mendoza had a different kind of runway. He got work with first-teamers. Still, the comparison is fair enough because both players are first-round rookie quarterbacks, and Simpson clearly had the better preseason overall.
Mendoza’s final outing against San Francisco didn’t help his case. His first three drives produced just seven yards and ended with an interception. He closed the game 7-of-14 for 57 yards, absorbed two sacks for a combined 20-yard loss and finished with a 31.0 passer rating.
Simpson’s last impression was much cleaner. In the Rams’ finale, he went 18-of-23 for 119 yards and a touchdown, finishing with a 105.2 rating. And even that wasn’t his strongest performance of the month.
The play was good enough to stir up a backup quarterback conversation in Los Angeles. Sean McVay still hasn’t named Matthew Stafford’s No. 2, and Simpson has pushed himself right into that discussion with Bennett.
None of this means Simpson has suddenly become the better prospect or that the draft should be rewritten. Mendoza remains the kind of quarterback teams dream about taking first overall, and the expectation for that pick is nothing short of an excellent NFL career.
But the gap that once looked huge is clearly smaller now than it seemed on draft night. Simpson’s preseason made that impossible to ignore.
That even prompted Dan Fouts to call Simpson the potential "steal of the century."
That’s probably too far. Still, there’s plenty in Simpson’s performance to suggest his rise isn’t a fluke. McVay has a track record of developing quarterbacks, and Simpson will keep learning in a room with Stafford, the reigning MVP.
Mendoza doesn’t have the exact same setup. He’s looking up to Kirk Cousins and working under a first-year head coach in Klint Kubiak, even with Kubiak’s reputation as an offensive mind.
For now, the preseason has already changed the conversation. Simpson isn’t chasing Mendoza from miles away anymore. He’s much closer than people thought.
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