Just like Jaxson Dart a year ago, Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson is gaining steam heading into the 2026 NFL Draft and end up being selected in the first round. For a team like the LA Chargers with a late-round pick and the motivation to potentially move down, Simpson's rising stock is a blessing.
In a perfect world, the Chargers could capitalize on the Simpson buzz to trade back and accumulate more draft capital. Los Angeles won't be the only team looking to execute this strategy, but with the No. 22 pick, they are in the perfect spot to get it done.
Perhaps the best team possible for the Chargers hosted Simpson at the 11th hour on Wednesday. Simpson met with the Arizona Cardinals on the last day that prospects are allowed to meet with teams. Chargers fans should hope there is real interest.
Cardinals could be perfect trade-down partner for Chargers
The Cardinals own the No. 34 pick in the draft and have good reason to be interested in Simpson in this range. Arizona has veteran quarterbacks in Jacoby Brissett and Gardner Minshew but doesn't have a true long-term solution.
Theoretically, they could get Simpson in the building to compete for the starting QB job without being forced to throw him to the wolves. This is a common practice for teams with young quarterbacks, and it may behoove Arizona to approach it this way.
But that approach is why the team should want to take him in the first round, not the early second. In addition to wanting to leapfrog any other interested teams, the Cardinals would also get the benefit of a fifth-year option on Simpson's rookie deal. That option only exists for first-round picks.
As far as the Chargers are concerned, they could theoretically move back 12 spots and pick up an extra pick in the top-70. In fact, we predicted this exact situation in a recent mock draft before the Cardinals even hosted Simpson. The Chargers could ask for the No. 34 pick, the No. 65 pick, and a future day-three pick.
There isn't a bona fide home run prospect for the Chargers at 22 (unless Vega Ioane falls), so there is no harm in moving down. The Chargers can still fill a roster need 12 picks later while also adding the chance to bring in another impactful player in the third round of the draft.
And hey, this might be the floor of what the Chargers could get for the No. 22 pick. Any type of bidding war is only going to increase the return. Atlanta traded a future first-round pick last year to move back into the 20s to take James Pearce Jr. There's absolutely a world in which the Chargers get this kind of haul for the No. 22 pick.
Any way you splice it, the Cardinals showing even a modicum of interest in Simpson is great news for the Chargers.
Add us as a preferred source on Google