Dan Orlovsky celebrates Ty Simpson selection on ‘The Pat McAfee Show’

No one in the lead-up to the 2026 NFL Draft went further out on a limb than ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky.

The longtime backup quarterback, now one of the top football commentators at the Worldwide Leader, caped hard for Alabama’s Ty Simpson throughout the offseason, even placing him ahead of Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza, the widely presumed No. 1 overall pick, national champion, and Heisman winner.

While the saga unfortunately turned into a full-blown news cycle, Orlovsky never backed down from his analysis.

And during the first round of the NFL Draft on Thursday night, Orlovsky was vindicated. Not on the full scope of the Simpson-over-Mendoza take, but at least by the widely respected Los Angeles Rams front office selecting Simpson far earlier than anyone projected.

Fortunately for fans attending the draft in Pittsburgh and viewers of the Pat McAfee Show Draft Spectacular, Orlovsky was on-set with McAfee and Co. when the pick came down. The typically subdued Orlovsky took a full-blown victory lap, milking the Pittsburgh crowd as it cheered him on and even chugging a beer alongside McAfee.

“Let’s have a time,” Orlovsky said, beaming as he compared his feeling to that of coach Herb Brooks in the movie Miracle, after Team USA upset the Russian hockey team.

“Fudge yes, dude. Gosh that makes me feel good, dude.”

A few minutes later, Orlovsky joined the entire McAfee Show cast and guest panelist Bill Cowher for a toast before chugging an entire beer at the desk with McAfee.

Here’s to you @danorlovsky7 😂😂😂#PMSDraftSpectacular pic.twitter.com/DSoIopkkze

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) April 24, 2026

Orlovsky was clearly vindicated in his praise for Simpson based on the Rams’ selection. Most expected the Alabama quarterback to get at the tail end of the first round or early in the second round.

Simpson will likely wait behind reigning NFL MVP Matthew Stafford for at least a year, meaning we won’t know how accurate Orlovsky’s evaluation was for a while. But at the very least, Orlovsky was far more in tune with how certain top NFL teams saw Simpson than other football analysts in the media.