The Arizona Cardinals could be an exciting team to watch during the 2026 NFL Draft. Arizona is in the quarterback market after cutting Kyler Murray earlier this offseason. One NFL insider added to the hype surrounding one fringe first-round quarterback in a recent interview.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport recently mused on the possibility of Arizona picking Alabama QB Ty Simpson with the third overall pick.
“The Cardinals at three, I would say let's just see,” Rapoport said on Friday via NFL Network. “We have seen far too often, we say alright obviously this quarterback is going to be taken late [in the first round] or he's more of a mid-round guy. Then a team falls in love with him and they say I don't care, I'm going to take him.”
Rapoport noted that it would be surprising to see Arizona pick Simpson in the first round. But it would not be unprecedented.
“Would it be a surprise if someone like Ty Simpson goes at three? It would be a surprise, I would be surprised by that. But I wouldn't be stunned because we've seen it before,” Rapoport continued. “We've seen guys like Mitchell Trubisky go two and a lot of us thought he was more of a late-round guy. Blake Bortles, same thing. Certainly it could happen again.”
Rapoport also cited New York's trade up for Jaxson Dart during the 2025 NFL Draft. He suggested that Arizona could take a similar approach if they are interested in Simpson. But that might require jumping the Steelers, who could take Simpson with the 21st overall pick.
Either way, Simpson could be a hot commodity during the draft.
It will be fascinating to see what the Cardinals do, if anything, at quarterback in the draft later this month.
