With the 2026 NFL Draft quickly approaching, teams are finalizing their boards for draft night. Meanwhile, media members, fans, and mock draft enthusiasts continue to deliver a steady stream of hot takes.
ESPN NFL analyst Dan Orlovsky recently delivered one that set the sports media world on fire. He declared Ty Simpson the QB1 of the NFL Draft.
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That statement effectively places Fernando Mendoza, the presumed number one overall pick, as QB2. Many analysts, fans, and teams have pushed back on that notion.
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Orlovsky joined The Pat McAfee Show, and when the topic came up, McAfee and his crew immediately challenged him. The segment quickly turned into a live on-air roast on ESPN.
McAfee opened by saying that he and his crew had seen Mendoza in person in the biggest games. Orlovsky immediately pushed back, asking, “What biggest games?”
A noticeable pause followed before multiple crew members pointed to Mendoza’s College Football Playoff championship. “Dan O” quickly grew defensive, which sparked an extended rant from McAfee.
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“So the College Football Playoff is big mockery and scam. Doesn’t mean anything. These games just don’t matter?” McAfee sarcastically began. “They have a full [explicative] committee! They have billions of dollars in TV rights for what the biggest games are.”
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Orlovsky acknowledged McAfee’s point but quickly pivoted to the Big Ten Championship Game, noting that Indiana scored just six points through three quarters.
“And then what?” a member of McAfee’s crew asked. Indiana, of course, pulled away with the victory. The crew also reminded Orlovsky that Ohio State’s defense posted historic numbers—including against Indiana.
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As McAfee continued to question his reasoning, Orlovsky became increasingly defensive. McAfee then highlighted Mendoza’s ability to battle through injury in that game and throughout the rest of the playoffs.
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The situation escalated further when McAfee pointed out that Orlovsky and Mendoza share the same agent—raising questions about potential bias in his analysis. The moment has since gone viral and cast the ESPN analyst in a tough light.
Everyone will have an opinion when it comes to the NFL Draft. However, Orlovsky’s take contains several holes that he has yet to adequately defend.
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Will ESPN possibly address the heated moment?
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