Cardinals ‘take a swing’ on 1st-round QB in final Mel Kiper Jr. mock draft

The Ty Simpson-Arizona Cardinals chatter won’t die down until he’s off the board in the 2026 NFL Draft. Wednesday was another example of that.

ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr.’s final mock draft of the offseason has the Cardinals trading into the backend of the first round (No. 30 overall) to nab the Alabama quarterback.

Kiper has Arizona giving up Nos. 34 and 65 to the Dolphins in exchange for Nos. 30 and 94.

The Kyler Murray era is over, but I’m not putting a lot of stock in Jacoby Brissett and Gardner Minshew being anything more than bridge options. The Cardinals could absolutely wait until 2027 to find their next franchise QB, and this small trade up at the end of Round 1 wouldn’t keep them from doing so anyway. But there’s an opportunity for Arizona to land a talented passer at good value.

You might have heard that Simpson has started only 15 games, and that lack of experience is a concern. But he is also accurate, mobile and smart in the way he dissects opponent defenses. He threw 28 touchdown passes to only five interceptions last season. Why not take a swing at the most important position in the game?

Simpson, who is reportedly meeting with Arizona on Wednesday for a top 30 visit, continues to be linked to the Cardinals as they enter their first season since 2019 without a clearcut franchise quarterback after Murray’s departure.

Arizona has also hosted quarterback prospects Carson Beck (Miami) and Drew Allar (Penn State) on top 30 visits this draft cycle.

In his final season leading the Crimson Tide, Simpson completed 64.5% of his throws for 3,567 yards and 28 touchdowns.

He’s regarded as the second-best quarterback prospect this draft behind expected No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza.

Some consistency regarding Cardinals’ No. 3 pick

After linking three different prospects to Arizona’s No. 3 overall pick across three mock drafts, Kiper had some consistency this time around with his pairing of Ohio State pass rusher Arvell Reese to the Cardinals.

The Cardinals weren’t much better than the Jets in the sack department, tying for 28th with 30. Josh Sweat needs a running mate, and Reese has the instincts and burst to get home on the QB. Of course, Reese also played off-ball linebacker at Ohio State, and though he said during the combine that he would be an NFL edge rusher, that sort of versatility is a big plus. He had 6.5 sacks and nine tackles for loss last season.

Reese continues to be one of the top prospects linked to the Cardinals’ No. 3 pick this offseason. In the Arizona Sports Mock Draft Tracker, Reese (38) is the third-most-mocked prospect behind only Miami offensive tackle Francis Mauigoa (79) and Texas Tech pass rusher David Bailey (46).

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