If Dante Moore was the appetizer, then Ty Simpson versus Fernando Mendoza is the entree. This is the New York Jets fans’ reality on New Year’s Day.
For a majority of the fanbase, it’s appropriate to classify Moore as the appetizer. After all, his Oregon Ducks knocked off the Texas Tech Red Raiders in the Orange Bowl, 23-0.
Mendoza matching up against Simpson is the main dish purely due to Jets fans getting “two for the price of one,” and, perhaps more importantly, how the consensus is currently constructed surrounding these three quarterback prospects.
It has nothing to do with Moore’s perceived unworthiness compared to the other two. Actually, the odds are pretty solid that the three quarterbacks are much closer together than people currently believe.
This potential reality—the 2026 NFL draft featuring three worthy top-10 quarterbacks—provides the New York Jets a chance to turn their big ship relatively quickly.
The consensus: Mendoza mania
Look, I get it: New York Jets fans have Fernando Mendoza mania, for good reason. As of this precise moment, the 2025 Heisman Trophy Winner is the assumed No. 1 overall selection in this April’s draft, and the Jets have been without a no-doubt-about-it franchise quarterback for over half a century. (Sorry, Chad Pennington, but those injuries were just too much.)
Mendoza mania has persisted despite the Jets having no shot at snagging the No. 1 overall pick, which is most likely destined to fall into the Las Vegas Raiders’ hands. Yet, don’t automatically assume Mendoza is a stone-cold lock at No. 1.
Let’s not discard recent history too quickly.
At some point during the 2017 season, the entire living, breathing football world believed USC product Sam Darnold was destined to be the top guy in the 2018 NFL draft. Once it was all said and done, Mr. Coffee (Mike Maccagnan) selected him third, after Baker Mayfield leapfrogged him that year (and especially, that spring).
It’s around this time each season that mock drafts begin to infiltrate and rule our lives. Yet, once the dust settles, each draft’s QB1 is oftentimes leapfrogged by a more productive young NFL gunslinger. Patrick Mahomes at No. 10 in 2017, Josh Allen at No. 7 in 2018, and Tyler Shough in Round 2 of the last draft are just three examples that come to mind.
In other words, don’t fall into the trap of allowing the mock draft and big board to make you a robotic slave to the norm. History rarely supports “the norm” as the tried-and-tested formula.
Mendoza isn’t a lock to go first overall. Moreover, let’s not pretend he’s the perfect prospect—despite abundant claims to the contrary, from some.
Although this particular page on the internet won’t delve deeply into the film, the idea is to provide at least some semblance of doubt. Therefore, let’s focus on Mendoza negatives, coupled with Moore and Simpson positives, to bring the group much closer together than the consensus.
Per NFL Mock Draft Database, here’s how the consensus mock draft shakes out (with the consensus big board ranking in parentheses):
- 1. Fernando Mendoza (Indiana), Las Vegas Raiders (No. 1)
- 3. Dante Moore (Oregon), New York Jets (No. 2)
- 24. Ty Simpson (Alabama), Los Angeles Rams (No. 15)
(Wouldn’t it make sense that Sean McVay brilliantly drafts the next quarterback who falls in the draft a tad, only to have him become a franchise guy in the NFL? But I digress … )
Mendoza’s possible shortcomings
Fernando Mendoza is an excellent prospect. I’d better say that before all the crazies go nuts.
After all, they most likely didn’t fully consume the earlier thought when I explicitly stated that the exercise today is to showcase his shortcomings, in the effort to argue the three players are closer together than folks believe.
Nonetheless, he has a plethora of traits NFL executives love. He’s smart, commands the offense, knows what he’s looking at (for the most part), and fits today’s league by way of the three-step game that demands pinpoint placement in the short accuracy area.
Pressure
At the same time, I’m not sure he handles pressure as well as most fans currently believe. This Hoosiers’ slinger has a habit of unloading the ball on time, via the three-step game, or seeking to make something happen on a broken play.
In other words, there’s rarely a great play to be made during the “in-between” game—not on time, not extended on a broken play, which means making something happen shortly after the on-time schedule breaks down. And part of the reason for this is the way he sometimes improperly handles pressure (where his eyes inappropriately travel post-snap).
Another factor to consider is that Indiana utilizes play-action and RPO concepts as frequently as, or even more regularly than, the majority of collegiate systems—and that’s saying something. The reason this is important is that the play-action/RPO formation freezes the pass rush, and it has been instrumental in doing so.
Therefore, the number of occasions to evaluate Mendoza’s eyes against the rush is limited. Evaluating a quarterback against the pass rush is ultra-critical for the NFL—just ask those who thought Zach Wilson would flip the script on that knock at BYU.
Arm strength
Nobody is claiming Mendoza’s arm isn’t lively enough for the NFL, but let’s be honest, this isn’t Jeff George (shout out to my fellow old heads). Numerous examples demonstrate Mendoza’s deep arm falling short.
The arm positives include a good-enough release (not too long, yet not incredibly smooth or quick), an on-schedule flow that’s accurate in the short-to-intermediate game, and a quick play-fake-to-release technical aspect.
Moore’s modern traits
When discussing Dante Moore’s negatives, a few things immediately come to mind.
First and foremost, he’s not as tall as Fernando Mendoza, standing just 6-foot-3 (Ty Simpson is 6-foot-2). He’s also not a great athlete, yet there isn’t a stark difference between Moore and Mendoza in this area, from a raw perspective.
For some, what’s most important is his lack of overall experience, having started in a smidge under 20 games, whereas the Indiana product is at 30.
Experience aside, Moore’s release and fluid movement fit this specific era of the NFL like a glove. For those who believe that’s his only positive—which oftentimes leads fans to think he’s the next “splashy” guy doomed to fail, i.e., Zach Wilson or Trey Lance—that’s simply not the case.
It’s easily arguable that Moore handles the pass rush leaps and bounds better than Mendoza. He keeps his eyes downfield while fluidly feeling the pocket in a pro-ready fashion:
It’s arguable to say that Moore’s pocket feel and poise are also leaps and bounds better than his NFL draft competition. Better yet, he throws from a variety of angles and can throw on the run after scampering away from a broken pocket:
Lastly, to dispel any silly notions that Moore cannot read coverages while progressing through a full-field concept, he calmly hits this backside dig against middle-closed:
The idea that Dante Moore is some “project” whose lack of experience will hurt him as an NFL rookie feels like an often parrotted claim.
Simpson’s sneaky savvy
The coach’s son, Ty Simpson, is the kid who’s fallen behind a bit in this three-quarterback race, yet that shouldn’t be the case. The Alabama product may just be the most pro-ready of the trio.
On the first play against Georgia, earlier in the season, Simpson’s touch, to slide a target over the second level and in front of the third, is next-level quarterbacking:
A lot of his movements in the pocket remind me of Peyton Manning. His footwork and subtleties in and around the pocket are extremely Manning-esque.
On the negative side, I’m not fond of his natural release. It’s long, and he really gets that ball behind his body, meaning he always has to ensure it’s triggered at all times. It cannot even think of competing with Moore’s lightning-quick release, and I’d also take Mendoza’s over his.
Still, Simpson’s overall quarterback savviness shouldn’t have him sliding down the first round as much as is currently happening. The following example spotlights just how pro-ready he is:
Simpson’s technically sound pocket quarterbacking is, by far, the best in this draft.
Final thoughts
For the Mendoza maniacs out there, don’t worry … I fully acknowledge that this first film session on the quarterback class is wholly unfair to the Heisman Trophy winner. It was designed to be unjust—for a tremendous reason.
Right now, the narrative has Mendoza as the sure-fire No. 1 overall pick, with the other two, notably Simpson, further down the list. I don’t believe that should be the case, after evaluating the tape.
Although we didn’t stress the Mendoza positives in this one, they are coming. The starting point, however, is intended to bring as many New York Jets fans back to the median as possible—at least considering Dante Moore and Ty Simpson, as opposed to believing it’s Fernando Mendoza or bust.
