The Rams picking Ty Simpson at 13 is not the same as the Packers picking Jordan Love | NFL Live

0:00 Let's get right to the action.

0:01 One of the bigger surprises of last night was

0:03 Ty Simpson being taken by the Rams, 13th overall.

0:07 And it's an ideal situation for Simpson.

0:09 He'll get to learn behind Matthew Stafford.

0:12 Sean McVay was asked about the Rams new quarterback room last night.

0:17 Here's more of what he said.

0:19 Let's make one thing clear.

0:21 This is Matthew's team.

0:22 Um and you get a chance to be able to address,

0:24 you know, the the backup quarterback, you know, we've got Stetson.

0:27 We've talked about the importance of Jimmy.

0:29 We're excited to be able to work with him and I think

0:31 he's really fortunate to be able to learn from the reigning MVP,

0:35 you know, a a first ballot Hall of Famer and and a guy

0:38 that uh shows what it looks like every single day.

0:42 All right, I'll just say this.

0:43 That's a coach that's standing by his quarterback.

0:45 I I think he's probably a little more excited

0:47 about Ty Simpson than maybe that press conference illustrated.

0:49 We'll talk about that a little more.

0:50 But Mina, how do you see all this playing out in the Rams QB room?

0:54 Obviously a dream situation for Ty Simpson

0:57 and great for him and his development.

0:59 I do wonder how Matthew Stafford feels about the pick, not as competition.

1:05 Nobody thinks that he is being brought in to compete with him either

1:08 in the near or I would say even next year if Stafford continues to play,

1:11 but because of the opportunity cost there.

1:14 This gets compared a lot to the Packers taking Jordan Love in 2020.

1:18 There's a big difference between pick 26 when Jordan Love

1:21 was taken and pick 13 given the players that were available.

1:24 Specifically Mekhi Lemon, the wide receiver out of USC.

1:27 Kenyon Siddique, we know that the Rams

1:29 have been using more multiple tight end sets.

1:31 That would have been a dream fit.

1:32 And again, while this might not seem like an issue now,

1:35 Davante Adams is 34 years old.

1:37 He missed games last year with the hammy.

1:39 If we get to November,

1:40 December and they're down a receiver or God forbid Nacua gets hurt,

1:44 I do think this is going to be a conversation because

1:46 this is a team that should be contending for the Super Bowl.

1:50 Spoke to Rams sources this morning and I you know, I'm going to say, "Well,

1:53 you're carrying water for McVay." Let me just tell you

1:55 what went on yesterday and I'll be clear with it here.

1:58 This is a very difficult decision to make when you have a quarterback who just

2:02 was knocking on the door to getting to a Super Bowl and who just won MVP.

2:05 But they wanted to draft Ty Simpson.

2:07 So they spoke with Matthew Stafford in person and let him know

2:11 earlier in the day that this might happen later in the evening.

2:14 Matthew Stafford was aware they spoke to the owner, Stan Kroenke, and said,

2:16 "We're going to do this." And Kroenke said,

2:18 "Okay." But if you think that Les Snead went renegade and went rogue,

2:22 like you don't know how that Nothing in that from the uniform

2:25 side of things goes through that building without Sean McVay's approval [music]

2:28 and Sean McVay's final word.

2:30 So this was a Sean McVay decision and he made it.

2:33 He also stressed and they stressed to everyone internally,

2:37 Trent McDuffie was their 29th pick in this draft.

2:40 If you want to look at that as the first round pick and say,

2:42 "Did we get Did we get Stafford help?" Yeah,

2:44 you got him in the area where they were

2:45 the most efficient last year and that's defensive back

2:47 and they got a guy who's better than anyone

2:48 who's coming out of the draft at that position.

2:50 So they have that pick, they make the Simpson pick and the thought is,

2:54 "All right, he's not going to see the field.

2:55 He's going to be a red shirt, whatever it is." But if anything,

2:58 if you're a Rams fan and you're trying to look

2:59 for a silver lining cuz it is so confusing, I understand it.

3:02 Sean McVay's not going to Amazon in 2 years.

3:05 Sean McVay's not going to ESPN in 3 years.

3:07 Sean McVay basically said, "I'm not going anywhere." cuz more than anyone,

3:10 he would be the one who would want to get Siddique or Lemon

3:13 and he took a player who's not going to contribute next season.

3:16 So they have a long runway and this thing could be

3:18 very smooth and handed over at when the time is right.

3:21 But Dan Dan Orlovsky, to your point earlier,

3:24 they don't plan on ever having a draft pick

3:25 in the top 10 to get one of these great quarterbacks.

3:27 So at some point, if everyone else

3:29 in the league didn't like Ty Simpson, they did.

3:32 They were going to take him and they'll deal with Stafford's

3:33 feelings and they'll deal with everyone else criticizing the pick.

3:36 It just is what it is.

3:36 They're building for the long term.

3:38 Well, well, let's be honest.

3:39 They didn't get a top 10 pick this time.

3:41 It was the 13th pick and as reports say, they also tried to trade out of it.

3:46 Right?

3:47 So it wasn't like we want to stand at 13,

3:49 we think Ty Simpson is worth this 13th pick and we believe

3:53 at this position we have for sure our quarterback of the future.

3:57 So I think that's part of what we have to say as well

3:59 and I do get that you're saying that Sean McVay isn't going anywhere,

4:02 but in front of us on the pivot 2 years ago,

4:05 he said he needed to re-evaluate, right?

4:08 And then now put himself back in the position

4:11 to where he is re-energized to do the job.

4:14 And so that was a question years ago.

4:17 And this is the same head coach who was absolutely

4:20 gutted for Matthew Stafford and Davante Adams after the NFC Championship.

4:26 So this what this signifies to me, it has to be one of two things.

4:29 It has to be we believe that without this first round pick,

4:32 the four points we were down to the Seattle Seahawks,

4:36 we have adjusted and fixed that with Jaylen Watson

4:39 and with Trent McDuffie on the defensive side of the ball.

4:41 And two, like Marcus said earlier,

4:44 if we have to at some point during the season, if we see a deficiency,

4:49 we are willing to go sell the farm again with a win now move.

4:53 Can I can I do the windy fingers here?

4:55 Ryan Clark, you might be onto something and it might not be during the season,

4:59 but they might have other things in their pocket,

5:00 whether it be in the draft or if there's a disgruntled player elsewhere.

5:04 Like what's the windy fingers?

5:05 This one?

5:06 Like you're onto something here.

5:07 They're not just going to sit there and

5:09 were the trigger fingers.

5:10 Whatever it is.

5:10 There's always another thing they can go to in the bag.

5:13 That's how they operate and in this case,

5:15 I understand the criticism and the body language was not great last night.

5:18 So all this is fair, but in their heads,

5:19 they told Stafford and we're going to figure out we'll deal with that.

5:22 to to criticize it cuz this front office has

5:26 shown as much competency as anybody in the NFL.

5:30 This team, I'mma say it again, was left for dead after their Super Bowl.

5:35 Right.

5:36 Nobody expected them to be competing

5:37 for championships or in a NFC championship game.

5:42 me though, they they they said Jared Goff is limited.

5:44 We need a freak quarterback.

5:46 We are trading for Stafford.

5:47 Ty Simpson is not a freak quarterback.

5:49 But there ain't no Staffords in the league.

5:51 know, but I'm just saying he's such a different quarterback.

5:53 I'm at.

5:53 Like like if you're Sean McVay and you're confident

5:57 in what you've shown as far as development of quarterbacks.

6:00 Remember y'all, this will be Sean

6:03 McVay's first drafted quarterback since Jared Goff.

6:07 He didn't draft He didn't draft Jared Goff.

6:08 that's what I'm saying though.

6:09 He had Jared, right?

6:11 That's how he won a Super Bowl with him.

6:12 This will be the first quarterback he's been able to day

6:15 one develop until he becomes a starter in the league.

6:18 And I'm telling you right now,

6:19 like Brock Purdy saved the San Francisco 49ers for the decisions that they made.

6:24 You look at the Los Angeles Rams and where they are right now.

6:28 Them being active in free agency,

6:31 trade deadline moves during the season is why they were Super Bowl champions.

6:36 It wasn't because of their drafts.

6:38 It just wasn't.

6:39 They had good players,

6:40 but they made a lot of moves that put them over the hump during a season.

6:45 I'm not I love the pick.

6:47 I absolutely love it because at 13, one,

6:51 you ain't you ain't spending a a crap load of money.

6:54 The other thing is if you do suck,

6:55 guess what position you're in next time to get another one that's better.

6:59 I don't think anybody in LA is looking at this move as some kind of problem.

7:03 going to say this.

7:04 The big difference for me between Ty Simpson and all of the quarterbacks

7:08 who were drafted while other Hall of Fame quarterbacks were on the team,

7:13 those quarterbacks had played so much football.

7:16 Lamar Jackson, Patrick Mahomes, Jordan Love.

7:19 Yeah, I mean Dan, he's going to have to sit behind Aaron Rodgers,

7:22 like all those guys had played so much ball.

7:25 Yeah, I would say this.

7:26 I I think one, Les Snead has drafted Jared Goff and acquired Matthew Stafford.

7:32 I think he knows what he's doing with quarterbacks.

7:33 Let's give him that grace.

7:35 Sean McVay in Washington when they drafted Kirk Cousins.

7:39 I think both those guys got pretty darn good

7:41 eyes for what quarterbacks should look like playing the position.

7:43 That's where my confidence lies.

7:45 You can't criticize it cuz it works.

7:48 This is the right thing to do.

7:51 You can absolutely criticize it.

7:52 You Mina, there's no

7:54 No, I'm not saying that it it might not turn out to be right,

7:56 but the idea that they're totally above reproach,

7:59 like This is the right thing to do, though.

8:01 Well, Mekhi Lemon and Siddique are on the board

8:02 and both of them make them better on offense.

8:04 What happens if they look at Stribling out of Ole

8:07 Miss or Burks from Oklahoma as the same players Mekhi Lemon?

8:12 What you've done previously should give you leeway.

8:16 Sure.

8:16 That like this is not a Y'all, we talking about the Los Angeles Rams like

8:20 they've made mistakes over the last 5 years.

8:22 Bay Packers or the Pittsburgh Steelers?

8:24 I would rather be the Green Bay Packers every day.

8:26 I I was the one telling people,

8:29 "What the hell are you mad that this team drafted Jordan Love for?" Bro,

8:32 Matthew Stafford is 40.

8:34 And And Marcus, I I'll tell you

8:35 that we're playing to the quarterback's strengths.

8:37 No nobody No one is saying that it's stupid to prepare for the future.

8:43 We're talking about the way in which you go about it, which admittedly,

8:48 if they were trying to trade out of 13, they also understood that.

8:54 That's all I'm saying.

8:55 Dan, you can absolutely criticize it based on the fact that no one

8:57 else took him in the top 12 and there was no real interest.

8:59 Like the player at 13 is very rich.

9:02 But the No, but the Why is it rich?

9:04 It's a It's a great motive.

9:06 Why is it rich?

9:07 Because it hasn't been [laughter] valued by the rest of the NFL.

9:09 There's multiple teams that need quarterbacks.

9:12 But Brian, Sean McVay and Les Snead,

9:15 the guys that have been at good at that position

9:17 over the last 8 years in the league, Not really.

9:19 it's indisputable.

9:20 But they But they But they haven't been as good as anybody.

9:23 Right?

9:23 They they they got a quarterback.

9:24 They had to fix it, so they traded for a quarterback.

9:26 Jared Goff, right?

9:27 Jared Goff was universally that draft right with Carson Wentz.

9:30 Everybody thought he was going to be number one.

9:32 Les Snead ain't going there and reinvent the wheel in drafting him.

9:36 Now, what Sean McVay did was come to the team in his year

9:39 two and make him a quarterback that could get you to a Super Bowl.

9:43 We all knew what Matthew Stafford was.

9:45 They went got a proven commodity that you knew exactly what

9:49 he was to add to a team that was built everywhere else.

9:52 They also drafted Stetson Bennett.

9:53 Just wanted to mention that.

9:54 But All right.

9:54 All right.

9:55 I get all of that.

9:56 Nobody's saying it was wrong no sweat, but it's not a slam dunk.

10:01 They let up.

10:02 Jared Goff went to the Super Bowl and they was like,

10:05 "You not good enough." I'M TALKING ABOUT the decision-making.

10:08 I'm not talking about the players.

10:09 I'm talking about overtime the decisions that this front

10:12 office has made has proved to work every time.

10:16 talking about it like it did the the story is written.

10:19 It's a period.

10:20 This this is 12 We don't know what's going to happen tomorrow.

10:24 Exactly.

10:25 And I think that's the big key here, too.

10:26 That's why it's a good conversation.

10:27 We can criticize it.

10:28 We can argue about it,

10:29 but we don't know because Ty Simpson's going to have to be

10:32 developed and he's going to have to be developed behind the scenes.

10:35 He's not going to be on the field,

10:36 which is receiver in More to come if they do some something in that world,

10:40 you say, "That makes a lot of sense." Adam, you want to add on this conversation

10:43 then we'll talk about some more quarterbacks.

10:45 One final thought before we go into other topics.

10:47 I don't know that there was another team

10:49 that was going to be picking Ty Simpson anytime soon.

10:52 The New York Jets do not appear to have

10:54 been interested in Ty Simpson in this draft.

10:57 The Cleveland Browns were 24.

10:58 That might have been the next target.

11:00 Could the Arizona Cardinals have taken a leap up the board?

11:03 Possibly.

11:04 Could there have been another team out there that made a move up the board?

11:07 You never know, but the truth of the matter is there was going

11:10 to be a ways to go before another team was going to take Ty Simpson.

11:15 The issue is the Rams couldn't move back.

11:18 They were stuck at 13.

11:19 They weren't getting any calls to move up or move back in the draft.

11:23 And so they had to take the quarterback they wanted there,

11:26 which was probably earlier and richer to use

11:28 Peter's word than they would like to have gone,

11:31 but that was the choice that they were left

11:33 with and they didn't want to lose out on the player.

11:43 [music]