PFF’s Plocher mocks Cardinals trading down in first round, taking Ty Simpson, Kadyn Proctor
Pro Football Focus' Jordan Plocher has the Cardinals trading down in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft to take Alabama's Kadyn Proctor and quarterback Ty Simpson.
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Pro Football Focus’ Jordan Plocher mocked the Arizona Cardinals trading down in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft to fill two of their biggest needs on the roster.
Plocher mocks the Cardinals trading the No. 3 pick to the Cowboys for the No. 12 and No. 20 picks. Dallas would use the No. 3 selection on Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love. The Cardinals would then use the No. 12 and No. 20 picks to select Alabama offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor and quarterback Ty Simpson, respectively.
Plocher said Simpson gives the Cardinals a potential quarterback of the future and that with Jacoby Brissett headed into the 2026 season as the likely starter, Simpson will have the opportunity to learn under the veteran to start the year.
It’s unclear at this point if Ty Simpson will hear his name called on Day 1 or Day 2, but in this mock draft, the Cardinals use their second pick of the first round to acquire him as their quarterback of the future — one selection before where he has been heavily mocked, to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Jacoby Brissett can start for as long as necessary until the Cardinals are ready to transition to the rookie.
Simpson threw for 3,567 yards with 28 touchdowns and five interceptions with Alabama last season and was one of the main stars that lead the Crimson Tide to the 2025-26 College Football Playoff quarterfinals.
However, Simpson’s play did drop off in the second half of the season as he threw for no more than 232 yards in Alabama’s final five games with six touchdowns and four interceptions. He struggled throughout the Rose Bowl against Indiana, completing just 12 of 16 passes for 67 yards and exited the game in the third quarter with a rib injury in a 38-3 loss.
Plocher added that while his dip in the second half raises concerns, his good start to last season still makes him a top prospect in the draft.
Simpson’s lack of starts (only 13) and dip in play in the latter half of the 2025 season (53.1 PFF passing grade over last two games) are the big concerns with him as a prospect. He still finished the season with an 81.4 PFF passing grade and showed flashes of high-level play in the earlier part of the schedule (93.8 PFF passing grade against Wisconsin and a 90.8 PFF passing grade against Vanderbilt).
ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. ranks Simpson as the 25th-best prospect and the second-best quarterback behind Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza, who’s the No. 1 draft prospect.
In the Arizona Sports Mock Draft Tracker, Simpson has been mocked to the Cardinals once with the No. 3 pick.
The Cardinals’ quarterback room beyond 2026 remains one of the biggest, if not the biggest, question marks in Arizona following the release of Kyler Murray. While Brissett is likely the starting quarterback headed into the season with veteran Gardner Minshew and 2025 holdover Kedon Slovis backing him up, all three quarterbacks are free agents after this season.
How would Kadyn Proctor fit on the Cardinals?
Proctor played 40 games across three seasons with the Crimson Tide. During his time at Alabama, Proctor racked up several honors, including the SEC Jacobs Blocking Trophy (2025), All-American and First-Team All-SEC honors (2025), Second-Team All-SEC (2024) and Freshman All-American (2023).
Kiper ranks Proctor as the third-best offensive tackle and 18th-best draft prospect, behind Miami’s Francis Mauigoa and Georgia’s Monroe Freeling, who are listed as the No. 1 and No. 2 tackle prospects, respectively.
Plocher said that the trade still lands the Cardinals with one of the top tackles in the draft, and the 20-year-old’s ability to play at tackle or guard gives him a high ceiling as a draft prospect.
After trading down nine spots and acquiring an extra first-rounder, the Cardinals are still able to land a top offensive lineman. Arizona banks on Proctor’s combination of size (6-foot-6 5/8 and 352 pounds), strength and youth (will be 20 when he’s drafted) as a safe high-floor prospect with a potentially very high ceiling. In 2025, Proctor allowed two sacks, four quarterback hits and 15 hurries on 611 pass-blocking snaps and posted an 84.2 PFF pass-blocking grade. The Cardinals could use help at multiple positions on the offensive line, so if Proctor doesn’t fit at tackle, he can play guard.
Offensive line remains one of the Cardinals’ biggest areas of need despite Arizona signing several linemen in free agency, including Isaac Seumalo, Matt Pryor and Olisaemeka Udoh.
The Cardinals’ offensive line struggled throughout last season and was hit hard by injuries. Arizona saw several players miss numerous games due to injuries, including right tackle Jonah Williams, left tackle Paris Johnson Jr. and left guards Evan Brown and Jon Gaines II. Center Hjalte Froholdt and guard Isaiah Adams were the only starting linemen to play in all 17 games.
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Comments
8 Comments
Jordan Plocher is stupid, maybe he just hates the Cardinals and thinks they're stupid, or maybe he's just a closet Cowgirls fan. Trading No. 3 for No. 12 and No. 20 is a mismatch according to the well-known, well-respected Draft Calculator: Cards give up 2200 to get 2050 from the Cowgirls. Cowgirls would need to pony up at least their 2026 No. 3 (worth 170) since they're the ones who are in "Love".
I have no issues with Proctor, simply because I don't know enough about him. I do know that I've read that several scouting agencies and over half the league have soured on Ty Simpson who is falling fast on draft boards. He is too fragile and he's not played enough games to really provide the necessary sample to pick him that high. I look at someone like Garrett Nussmeier as a much better choice, because he's likely going to be available when the Cards pick in the 3rd and 4th round. Nuss is finally healthy after going undiagnosed for almost 9 months. When docs hit on what was physically wrong, repaired it, Nuss has looked light years better. Nuss has a great pedigree = his Dad, Doug Nussmeier has been either an OC/ or QB coach for over 20 years in the NFL. Scouts predict there are near a dozen Offensive Lineman (mostly OTs) who will be taken in the 1-3rd Rounds. As I have said for some time now, I would take Rueben Bain out of Miami, who has the best tape of anyone in this draft. I don't care about his arm length. I care about his tape.
Uhh the exact opposite is happening with Simpson he’s flying up draft boards. I agree on the picks though, just the 20tg pick basically isn’t nearly enough. They would need to come a 3rd and probably a 4th or 5th to get that done, in no reality is the 3rd overall pick worth just one pick even if it is the 20th overall pick as the 12th pick isn’t really addition, they’d need to sweeten the pot for AZ to fall back 9 picks.
The OL most definitely is no longer one of their biggest needs, the offensive line is pretty loaded. Arizona drafts a top tier RT and they should have a top 5-10 OL In 2026 with the talent they have.
That being said, I’d be pretty happy if we could trade back add a few picks and still nab Simpson and Proctor. Proctor likely will be a really good RT built to be a run blocking mauler n solid pass protector, at worst he’s a premier beastly RG and we let Pryor/Wilkinson/Josh Fryar battle to start at RT. And we’d always land our QB of the future who’s built for this system as his skill set fits LaFluers offense like a glove.