The Arizona Cardinals have a potentially franchise-altering decision to make. As it stands, Jacoby Brissett is set to lead the Cardinals into the 2026 NFL season, with Gardner Minshew II set to back the veteran up after the team cut Kyler Murray in the off-season. The Cardinals appear to be sticking with Brissett as their QB1 in 2026GettyBut with Minshew II coming off a torn ACL injury suffered in Week 15, options behind Brissett are a little light, with Kedon Slovis the only other quarterback currently on the roster, who has played just two downs in the NFL for a total of minus-2 yards. After a 3-14 losing season, the Cardinals are in possession of the No. 3 overall pick in the upcoming NFL Draft, with speculation over whether they will address their needs elsewhere on their roster or stun the league and select a quarterback. While 2025 Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza essentially has one foot in the Las Vegas Raiders‘ facility already, the rest of the QBs in the draft class’ future is more uncertain. Per most mock drafts, including that of ESPN’s latest edition, Mendoza is the only quarterback expected to be taken inside the first round.Fortunately for the Cardinals, they are also in possession of the No. 34 overall pick, so could wait to use that pick on a QB should they ultimately decide to bring in a young signal caller to the franchise. Could the Cardinals select a QB with their early draft picks?Arizona Sports journalist Tyler Drake, in an exclusive conversation with talkSPORT’s Will Varney, spoke about whether he could see the Cardinals drafting a player like Ty Simpson. “It’s a potential, just because they’ve got 34. They wouldn’t have to give up a ton,” Drake exclusively told talkSPORT’s Will Varney. “But you really have to weigh the pros and cons. If you think this guy could be your franchise quarterback, you’re going off of 15 games as a starter in four years. That’s really what you’re coming down to.“When you look at the metrics of it all and when you look at all of the types of players that have come out with that amount of starts, or even just lower than 20, it’s a lottery ticket. You’re really hoping you hit the lottery with one of these picks.“As much as he has been connected, as much as he could be a fit with what Mike LaFleur wants to do, the point of not having enough of a sample size is the part that scares me.Simpson is widely recognized as the second-best quarterback in the 2026 NFL DraftGettySimpson broke out in his lone season as a starter at AlabamaGetty“Like I said with Malik Willis – why do you want to go out there and tie yourself up to this guy for four years or however long if you don’t know exactly what you’re going to see in the second year of what you think is an emergent player.”In four seasons at Alabama, Simpson made just 31 appearances for the Crimson Tide, though emerged as the starter in 2025, where he enjoyed a breakout season. In his 15 outings under center, the 6-foot-1 and 211lb signal caller completed 64.5 percent of his passes for 3,567 passing yards and 28 touchdowns to just five interceptions. Carson Beck a potential alternative option? But his sample size is just slightly too small for the Cardinals reporter. “For me, Ty Simpson is definitely on there, but if you look at a guy, maybe like a Carson Beck, he’s got more experience, obviously, and you can get him later. So that would be something that stands out,” Drake added. “Penn State’s Drew Allar is another guy. Garrett Nussmeier from LSU. Those would be your quarterbacks, but at that point, you’re kind of just taking a flyer.Carson Beck has been linked with the Cardinals of lateGetty“You’re just hoping – you’re not going like Mr. Irrelevant Brock Purdy-style – but you’re going fully into the ‘let’s see if we hit and can strike gold on one of these picks, and really move forward.”Beck comes into the draft fresh off leading the No. 10 seed Miami (Florida) to the College Football Playoff National Championship, where Mendoza and the Indiana Hoosiers handed them a 27-21 defeat. The high-profile Georgia transfer’s 55-game resumé showcases a bigger sample size for NFL scouts, in which the two-time National Champion finished his collegiate career having recorded 11,725 passing yards a a 69.5 percent completion rate for 88 touchdowns to 32 interceptions. The Cardinals have already been linked with Beck, but Drake argues that any potential rookie quarterback would thrive learning under 10-year veteran Brissett. “You’ve got Jacoby Brissett. You’ve seen Drake Maye learn from him in New England before. He’s a great mentor,” Drake told Varney. “Just seeing him this year, he was excellent with a lot of the guys in the locker room. “So I know whoever comes in here, if it’s a rookie quarterback, they’re going to learn a lot from this guy. I’d love if they would bring in a rookie to learn from Jacoby because I think it would be beneficial.”Stay up to date with the latest from the NFL across all platforms – follow our dedicated talkSPORT USA Facebook page and subscribe to our talkSPORT USA YouTube channel for all the news, exclusives, interviews and more.