Media

Dan Orlovsky’s Ty Simpson take develops into an entertaining ESPN moment during NFL Draft coverage

Orlovsky said Simpson is a better prospect than Fernando Mendoza, who went No. 1 overall to the Raiders.

While Ty Simpson was on stage in Pittsburgh enjoying his moment as a first-round draft pick (No. 13), the ESPN crew and crowd were congratulating analyst Dan Orlovsky. Gene J. Puskar

By Chad Finn

April 25, 2026

4 minutes to read

The most entertaining moment of NFL Draft coverage, at least during Thursday night’s first round, happened on the most annoying show.

In the relentless build-up to the draft, ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky was a one-man vocal minority in advocating for Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson. At one point during the process, Orlovsky said Simpson is a better prospect than Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza, who as predicted went No. 1 overall to the Raiders.

Orlovsky took plenty of heat for his take, including from ubiquitous ESPN host and sentient monster-truck Pat McAfee during a tense exchange on the latter’s show in March.

The two didn’t let the disagreement linger, and in a move that was well-timed but probably not authentically serendipitous, Orlovsky appeared on set as a guest on McAfee’s draft show just as the Rams were on the clock at No. 13.

The Rams took Simpson, who was projected toward the back of the first round or perhaps early in the second. It was a shock to viewers, though considering “insider” Adam Schefter’s setup for the pick over on ESPN’s main show — “The Rams have done a lot of work on a lot of prospects, including Alabama’s quarterback Ty Simpson,” he said, while the camera focused on Simpson in the green room — it seemed at least a few analysts and reporters were in cahoots on what was coming.

The pick vindicated Orlovsky’s belief that Simpson would go sooner in the first round than the consensus thought. He enjoyed the moment, high-fiving McAfee and the other analysts on set, including CBS’s Bill Cowher, while the crowd chanted “Dan-O! Dan-O!”

McAfee’s show is a taste that I’m never going to acquire unless I connect myself to a permanent IV of liquid Advil, but it was a cool scene, if perhaps not entirely organic.

A few other draft thoughts:

· I tend to stick with ESPN’s draft coverage over ABC’s college football-focused version or the NFL Network, mostly because of old habit, but also because Mel Kiper Jr.’s odd form of self-assurance remains a source of amusement. When the Chiefs traded up to the No. 6 in the first round, Kiper confidently whiffed on what they were up to.

“Look at the teams they jumped, Washington and New Orleans. What are we looking at there?” said Kiper, meaning they were teams looking for a wide receiver. “Jordan Tyson, wide receiver, Arizona State.”

The Chiefs took Louisiana State cornerback Mansoor Delane.

· ESPN host Mike Greenberg had a gaffe later in the first round, forgetting or being unaware that the 49ers had traded the No. 27 overall pick to the Dolphins. When Miami selected San Diego State cornerback Chris Johnson, Greenberg said, “All right, so the California kid stays in California.”

· On the ABC broadcast, Ohio State coach Ryan Day had a great line when he was asked about Buckeyes safety Caleb Downs, who had transferred in from Alabama.

“The first thing that surprised me when Caleb came to Ohio State,” deadpanned Day while talking to analyst Nick Saban, “was that he was a mess.”

Downs, who went 11th overall to the Cowboys, played for Saban at Alabama.

One draft analyst sees Drew Bledsoe (left) in No. 1 draft pick Fernando Mendoza, who will be playing for the Raiders and minority owner Tom Brady (right). – Globe Staff Photo: Barry Chin

· ESPN’s Louis Riddick, the most trustworthy draft analyst in my opinion, compared Mendoza to a former Patriots quarterback — but not the one he’ll be working for in Las Vegas, Raiders minority owner Tom Brady.

“Quite honestly, I played against [Drew] Bledsoe,” said Riddick, a former safety. “He looked just like Fernando Mendoza.”

Wonder if Brady will eventually try to take Mendoza’s job.

* * *

WEEI plans to reveal the hosts of its revamped (yet again) afternoon drive program at 9 a.m. Monday during “The Greg Hill Show.” There’s speculation that Rich Shertenlieb could end up part of the program. Messages to Shertenlieb went unanswered Friday, and Ted Johnson — who worked with Shertenlieb in the past and is the only host to survive Wednesday’s changes — said in a text he could not comment on who the new hosts may be.

Multiple industry sources told me Thursday that they expect current WEEI employees Ken Laird and Chris Curtis to be part of the afternoon show.

The afternoon show shakeup, which included the dismissal of Andy Hart and Nick “Fitzy” Stevens, occurred a day after the Nielsen Audio ratings for the winter period covering January 8-April 1 became available.

WEEI’s afternoon show — accurately titled the “WEEI Afternoon Show” — finished in 14th place with a 2.7 share. The Sports Hub’s “Felger & Mazz” was first as usual with a 15.3.

Overall in the men 25-54 demographic, the Sports Hub was first with a 13.6, while WEEI was 12th with a 3.0.

The Sports Hub’s “Toucher & Hardy” was first in mornings (18.8 share), while “The Greg Hill Show” took seventh (4.4).

In middays (2-6 p.m.), The Sports Hub’s “Zolak & Bertrand” somewhat bizarrely tied for first with WCCM (1490 AM), a Spanish-language station in Lawrence, with an 11.7. The Sports Hub show had nearly seven times the cumulative audience, the number of unique listeners over a designated period, than did WCCM’s midday programming, which suggests the AM station had some extremely loyal listeners that happened to have portable people meters used to measure listenership.

The Sports Hub won the evenings, with Joe Murray’s show and Bruins and Celtics broadcasts bringing in a 16.0 share. WEEI, with Christian Arcand’s show and the first few Red Sox games, was 15th with a 2.1.