NFL Draft Rumors 2026: Jacoby Brissett’s Arizona Cardinals strongly linked to Alabama standout QB and North State Dakota QB (Image via Getty: Arizona Cardinals logo, Philadelphia Eagles logo, and New York Jets logo)
First things first: the biggest elephant in the room: Longtime Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray left for the Minnesota Vikings, where he will compete with J.J. McCarthy for the starting job, and may have Carson Wentz as QB2.
His QB2 was Jacoby Brissett here in Arizona. Now, Brissett wants a starter role, and the Cardinals also signed Patrick Mahomes’ backup, Gardner Minshew, this offseason. But the franchise does not want to name their QB1.So, does this mean that they would draft a new QB who could potentially become a QB1 in 2026 and for years to come? Only time will tell…for now, who’s their top 2026 NFL Draft prospect? Alabama Crimson Tide standout quarterback Ty Simpson.
Let’s take a complete look at this 2026 prospect’s profile.
Crimson Tide QB Ty Simpson heavily picked as primary suitor for Cardinals
“I think we have different characteristics as it goes for every position,” Arizona GM Monti Ossenfort said of what they’re looking for in a draft QB. “I think big ones for me [are] accuracy and decision-making, those are always at the forefront. And so, every year, there are different flavors of quarterbacks, different sizes, different styles. And so, it looks different.
The college game looks different from the NFL game. And so, it’s up to us to really look at those guys and project how they’re going to translate to our league. Every year is different, and we certainly did our share of evaluation on the quarterbacks in this year’s draft.”Sports Illustrated’s Donnie Druin reports that the Cardinals have been interested in the Alabama product since the last few chapters of their 2025 regular season, before [head coach] Jonathan Gannon was fired and when [QB] Kyler Murray was still a part of Arizona. Simpson matches the “different” criterion that the Cardinals are looking for. Example? He recently appeared on Jon Gruden’s “Gruden’s QB Class” show, where he revealed that he can distract pass rushers with a disguised “stumblebum.” Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson’s trick, where the QB pretends to stumble or fumble the snap to trick defenders into relaxing, allowing a receiver to get wide open downfield for a big pass.As for size, he is a 6-foot-1, 211-pounder. Yahoo Sports’ Nate Tice reports that Simpson lacks the ideal size, but he will stand in to deliver throws, take big hits, and get back up like “Randy Marsh at a Little League baseball game.”Now, even though he is heavily rumored to be Arizona’s draft pick, he may have a competition in the form of fellow prospect Cole Payton.
Arizona could pick North Dakota State quarterback Cole Payton who is also projected for Eagles and Jets
NFL Network’s Aaron Wilson reported via X that North Dakota State Bison QB Cole Payton visited the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Indianapolis Colts.
He has extensively met with the Philadelphia Eagles, the Arizona Cardinals, and the New York Jets. Now, the Eagles have Jalen Hurts, but with growing friction with the franchise’s offense, he is predicted to have four trade destinations: the Pittsburgh Steelers, Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, and Cleveland Browns. Thus, Philadelphia may want a QB. As for the Jets, they lost Justin Fields to the Kansas City Chiefs and acquired Geno Smith from the Las Vegas Raiders.
But the analysts still keep predicting quarterbacks for them, maybe because of Smith’s injury concerns. In Dec. 2025, Smith suffered a right [throwing] shoulder injury and also sustained a high ankle sprain. He was ruled out for high-stakes games. So, they may want a high-powered rookie to hold the fort in case Smith gets injured. As for Arizona, and our topic of concern, Cardinals Wire’s Jess Root reports that Cole Payton is expected to be a Day 3 pick.If Arizona does not draft Ty Simpson early on in the 2026 NFL Draft, then they could go for Payton. The Cardinals have a pick in every round, and if Payton is available on Day 3, they could go for him as a pick in the fourth round. So, who would the Cardinals pick? Ty Simpson or Cole Payton? The incumbent starting QB, Jacoby Brissett, is looking for a new deal and has not been in attendance at the team’s offseason program. Also, Gardner Minshew was brought in to provide depth behind Brissett. So back to our question: would it be Simpson or Payton? Only time will tell… days remaining now!
