Mel Kiper Jr. urges Dan Orlovsky to stand firm on Ty Simpson: ‘I had the same feeling about Shedeur Sanders’

If Mel Kiper Jr. can continue to stand firm on Shedeur Sanders, Dan Orlovsky should be able to hold his ground on Ty Simpson.

Orlovsky has received some flak in recent months for claiming Simpson might be the better quarterback prospect than consensus No. 1 pick in the upcoming NFL Draft, Fernando Mendoza. His Simpson hype has been so strong that it has led people to wonder whether Orlovsky was being encouraged to tout the quarterback by their shared agency, CAA, an allegation he has already denied several times.

But while Orlovsky is hyping Simpson as a franchise quarterback, Kiper and others have the prospect listed as a borderline first-rounder. And as someone who knows a thing or two about quarterback hot takes in the NFL Draft, Kiper seems to enjoy watching Orlovsky continue to go against the grain with Simpson.

During an appearance on First Take this week, Stephen A. Smith pressed Kiper on having a different assessment of Simpson than Orlovsky. And while Kiper still thinks he’s a late-first-rounder, the longtime NFL Draft analyst won’t try to convince Orlovsky he’s wrong about Simpson.

“I had the same feeling about Shedeur Sanders last year. I still believe strongly in Shedeur and what he can do in Cleveland. So hold to it. Don’t let anybody talk you out of it” – Mel Kiper Jr. on Dan Orlovsky’s affinity for Ty Simpson pic.twitter.com/RQhWp9zTFU

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) April 15, 2026

“First of all, Danno doesn’t have to worry about anybody else and what they think,” Kiper said. “He doesn’t have to worry about what teams are gonna back him up. Just have an opinion, state it. Danno has an opinion; he’s a former quarterback; he evaluates these guys tremendously well. State your case!

“I had that same feeling about Shedeur Sanders,” Kiper admitted. “I still believe strongly in Shedeur and what he can do in Cleveland. So, hold to it. Don’t let anybody talk you out of it. Don’t let anybody bully ya. Ty Simpson, if he believes that, fine!”

Kiper infamously defended Sanders and ripped the NFL for letting him slide to the fifth round during last year’s draft. Despite being criticized on social media for his relentless defense, Kiper’s theatrics around Sanders’ slide became one of the draft’s biggest stories. And while Sanders did little to prove Kiper right during an unimpressive rookie campaign with the Cleveland Browns, Kiper isn’t ready to wave the white flag just yet.

One year later, Kiper believes Orlovsky should use his unwavering defense of Sanders as the model, not a deterrent for standing firm on your quarterback rankings. Which means no matter what anyone else thinks of Simpson, no matter where he gets drafted, and no matter how well or poorly he may perform as a rookie, Kiper doesn’t want Orlovsky to surrender.