2026 NFL Draft

[dsvitak]

What are your thoughts so far?

Mendoza at #1 to Vegas, and a sweet $55M.

Ty Simpson second QB taken, heir apparent to Stafford.

I looked at the remaining ranking of available QB's, and was amused to see Diego at #13 left, overall ranking #272, and with a 43 rating. Not someone you want on your Madden team!

[TC Dale]

Going to watch to see how it plays out for sure. And as always I look to see the last player drafted and who took him, an interest between the lines I guess.

[kq76]

I was hoping for a DB or DL for Seattle, but I'm happy with Price. His highlights are awesome: touchdown after touchdown after touchdown. 27 in 3 years of not that much playing time. They better go D in rounds 2 and 3 though.

The rest of the NFC West are a laugh. :P Love is a great player, but I hate it when good players go to teams that just don't have what the player needs to be successful (usually OL). What a waste of talent.

[Ragnar]

Originally Posted by dsvitak

What are your thoughts so far?

Mendoza at #1 to Vegas, and a sweet $55M.

That's great. He can be a bust and still be set for life.

[Ragnar]

How dumb are the Giants? I know they need WR and OL, but if a player like Caleb Downs is still on the board, how do you not take him? Similar to the Cowboys in 2020 looking for defense and Lamb is on the board. You take Lamb. The Giants could use a safety like Downs. It also prevents a team like the Cowboys from taking him. That said, the Giants still had a very good draft so far.

[rebels5]

Honestly, so far it looks pretty interesting.

Mendoza going number 1 to Las Vegas feels like a strong move, especially with that contract. Ty Simpson as Stafford’s successor makes sense too — it’s a quieter but logical pick.

And Diego… not gonna lie, it made me laugh. With that rating, I’m not picking him even in Madden. But hey, surprises happen.

Overall, it’s looking good and definitely interesting so far.

[dsvitak]

Originally Posted by rebels5

Honestly, so far it looks pretty interesting.

Mendoza going number 1 to Las Vegas feels like a strong move, especially with that contract. Ty Simpson as Stafford’s successor makes sense too — it’s a quieter but logical pick.

And Diego… not gonna lie, it made me laugh. With that rating, I’m not picking him even in Madden. But hey, surprises happen.

Overall, it’s looking good and definitely interesting so far.

Doug Flutie was the same size as Diego..but Doug Flutie was, well, DOUG FLUTIE.

[Cobra Mgr]

Rams selection of Simpson BETTER pay off. I'm a firm believer 1st round picks are for immediate help. Picking someone in the 1st to sit on the bench all year is a waste. He better be the Rams unquestioned starting QB in 2040.

I'm glad the Panthers went w/o-line help. Just about everyone pre draft had them going for a WR, TE (if the kid from Oregon was still around) or LB/S.

[low]

Originally Posted by Cobra Mgr

I'm a firm believer 1st round picks are for immediate help. Picking someone in the 1st to sit on the bench all year is a waste.

100% disagree. Especially if we're talking about QBs.

[CONN CHRIS]

Originally Posted by Ragnar

How dumb are the Giants? I know they need WR and OL, but if a player like Caleb Downs is still on the board, how do you not take him? Similar to the Cowboys in 2020 looking for defense and Lamb is on the board. You take Lamb. The Giants could use a safety like Downs. It also prevents a team like the Cowboys from taking him. That said, the Giants still had a very good draft so far.

Glad Downs is headed to Dallas!

[Cobra Mgr]

Originally Posted by low

100% disagree. Especially if we're talking about QBs.

When you are the Rams, 5 pts short of the Super Bowl last year? LA is not in "build" mode. They are in "win now" mode. You don't sacrifice a player that might get you over the hump for a guy who you hope will be a starter 2-3 seasons from now. If Simpson is not the LA Rams starting QB from 2027(8) til 2040 this will be a stupid pick. That is the only way this pick will make any sense.

[Ragnar]

Originally Posted by Cobra Mgr

When you are the Rams, 5 pts short of the Super Bowl last year? LA is not in "build" mode. They are in "win now" mode. You don't sacrifice a player that might get you over the hump for a guy who you hope will be a starter 2-3 seasons from now. If Simpson is not the LA Rams starting QB from 2027(8) til 2040 this will be a stupid pick. That is the only way this pick will make any sense.

That is a complaint some starting QBs have had. Big Ben and Rodgers just to mention a few. How does that player help our team win now?

You can usually get a pretty good player at pick 13. I don't know how good that QB is. But he won't be helping the team win anytime soon.

[dsvitak]

Originally Posted by Cobra Mgr

When you are the Rams, 5 pts short of the Super Bowl last year? LA is not in "build" mode. They are in "win now" mode. You don't sacrifice a player that might get you over the hump for a guy who you hope will be a starter 2-3 seasons from now. If Simpson is not the LA Rams starting QB from 2027(8) til 2040 this will be a stupid pick. That is the only way this pick will make any sense.

I agree with this. An excellent WR to put some more points up is what I thought would happen. Getting a better backup QB is useless. If Stafford is hurt bad enough to need a backup, their season's toast, in any event.

[kq76]

I think it's fine if you're picking a QB early who you'll likely sit for a year or two if, and only if, there's a consensus that they're actually pretty good, like they would probably get picked by several teams around the same spot. But if you're reaching to get one in the 1st that most teams probably think should go in the 2nd or 3rd, no. The opportunity cost is just too great.

Besides, when you're that close to a championship, do whatever you can to put yourself over the hump. When you're near the peak of the mountain is not the time to plan your far-flung future, it's the time to summit.

I think the Rams are certifiably nuts. Now sometimes that just happens to work (it's hard to counter crazy after all), but I don't think this will.

[Cobra Mgr]

That's my point. Drafting Simpson, the Rams were essentially saying this is our Pro Bowl QB for the next decade & a half. They were saying this is a Peyton Manning/Andrew Luck type prospect. Not this might pay off. This WILL pay off. I give the Rams way more credit than myself for being knowledgeable about players. But that is a lot of trust in someone that had a lot of questions marks. And a big chance taken by a team this close to a Super Bowl.

He better hit.

[Ragnar]

Originally Posted by Cobra Mgr

That's my point. Drafting Simpson, the Rams were essentially saying this is our Pro Bowl QB for the next decade & a half. They were saying this is a Peyton Manning/Andrew Luck type prospect. Not this might pay off. This WILL pay off. I give the Rams way more credit than myself for being knowledgeable about players. But that is a lot of trust in someone that had a lot of questions marks. And a big chance taken by a team this close to a Super Bowl.

He better hit.

Agreed. But you could do worse. You could trade up all the way to the 3rd pick, giving a king's ransom to do it, and pick a QB like Trey Lance solely based on measurables during the underwear olympics. Totally ignoring his play on the field.

This is why I'm glad the Cowboys couldn't draft Sonny Styles. He was a mid first round pick based on his play on the field. The combine put him in the top 5. I know these are experts that do this. But I bet many of those experts never played a down of football in their lives. Not even flag football.

[Sweed]

The Rams' pick of Simpson is a good pick. Mike Greenberg saying it isn't is almost all of the confirmation I need to know I am right.

The Rams already covered their biggest need via trade getting McDuffie at CB.
He's better than any corner they could have drafted.

They didn't get to the SB because their special teams were horrid, coverage and return. Hell, they couldn't confidently catch a punt. They should have drafted Wetgen from Iowa to fix the return problem. Will he run rampant in the NFL like college? Probably not, but he can at least catch the ball and, I think, will have his moments.

They're going to be drafting late, 25th pick and later, pretty much every year with McVay. Archie Sr. may love the idea of Arch playing for McVay but it's never happening. It's a crap draft and those top receivers they could have drafted, while good, aren't that good. A tackle would be nice, but again in this draft? The quality just isn't there for that 13th pick.

Orlando Pace was an overall 1 and was great. What happened with Greg Robinson as the second overall pick? These guys bust too. Nobody they could have selected with that pick was going to be thought of as a future HOFer of perennial pro bowler either. Any receiver they took would probably be a nice 2 and work. The Rams have been drafting late round receivers for years that are better than Lemon. Any tackle they took there would probably have the same bust/works/great odds that Simpson has.

In a QB driven league, with the stacked team they have, and immediate need already covered they were in a great position to take a chance. The other choice is once Stafford retires tank for a high pick and hope? I don't think McVay sticks around for that. The other choice is limp around getting 9-10 wins a season with below average QBs because McVay is a great coach. Maybe they could fall into that 13th pick again? Or maybe they get lucky with a 7th rounder down the road? Not something one can really count on.

The big worry about Simpson, and it is a big/huge worry, is him only having the 15 starts. If he had 30 starts the worry goes away. But if he had 30 good starts he's not available to pick at 13. Time will tell, but at the time of the draft the pick was worth the risk.

[Cobra Mgr]

Originally Posted by Sweed

The Rams' pick of Simpson is a good pick. Mike Greenberg saying it isn't is almost all of the confirmation I need to know I am right.....................

True or false...........Before last Thursday, you thought Simpson was a Pro Bowl QB in waiting.

[Sweed]

Originally Posted by Cobra Mgr

True or false...........Before last Thursday, you thought Simpson was a Pro Bowl QB in waiting.

I didn't have a thought on it either way. The same way I never thought about it with MaHomes, Drake Maye, or Bo Nix (12th overall pick). "Too short?" Simpson is an inch shorter than Nix and about 5 lbs lighter. I'm not concerned with size since Simpson is mobile enough. Would you agree when Simpson gets to play, if he puts up Nix's numbers he is well worth the pick? I think that would be a "win" for the Rams.

I've watched maybe 20 minutes of an Alabama game this year. It is the only time I know of where I saw Simpson play live over the last 3 to 4 years. All I know of him is that small sample and "how good he is" as reported by different pundits. These are some of the same pundits that "know" what is going through McVay's mind during the interview. Best I can tell from all of the reports is he has NFL talent but, only 15 college starts. As a football fan I'll say the 15 starts concern me. I'll also say the Rams know way more than me and I'll defer to their judgement.

The Rams on the other hand didn't select Simpson because Snead is a friend of the family. This isn't the Dodger selecting Mike Piazza with a late seemingly meaningless pick in the 62nd round as a "favor". The Rams making the pick is the result of their research into Simpson and believing they can make it work. The Rams know more about their situation than me, you, or any of their critics. I find it hilarious that John Lynch has the balls to smirk or say anything. Hey John how's that Trey Lance pick working out for you?

Time will tell if Simpson works out or not. But the Rams have been quite successful in the draft during the Snead/McVay era. I'll go with "they know what they are doing" six days a week and twice on Sunday over the "know it all-s" on tv or the internet.

[Cobra Mgr]

Originally Posted by Sweed

I didn't have a thought on it either way. The same way I never thought about it with MaHomes, Drake Maye, or Bo Nix (12th overall pick). "Too short?" Simpson is an inch shorter than Nix and about 5 lbs lighter. I'm not concerned with size since Simpson is mobile enough. Would you agree when Simpson gets to play, if he puts up Nix's numbers he is well worth the pick? I think that would be a "win" for the Rams.

I've watched maybe 20 minutes of an Alabama game this year. It is the only time I know of where I saw Simpson play live over the last 3 to 4 years. All I know of him is that small sample and "how good he is" as reported by different pundits. These are some of the same pundits that "know" what is going through McVay's mind during the interview. Best I can tell from all of the reports is he has NFL talent but, only 15 college starts. As a football fan I'll say the 15 starts concern me. I'll also say the Rams know way more than me and I'll defer to their judgement.

The Rams on the other hand didn't select Simpson because Snead is a friend of the family. This isn't the Dodger selecting Mike Piazza with a late seemingly meaningless pick in the 62nd round as a "favor". The Rams making the pick is the result of their research into Simpson and believing they can make it work. The Rams know more about their situation than me, you, or any of their critics. I find it hilarious that John Lynch has the balls to smirk or say anything. Hey John how's that Trey Lance pick working out for you?

Time will tell if Simpson works out or not. But the Rams have been quite successful in the draft during the Snead/McVay era. I'll go with "they know what they are doing" six days a week and twice on Sunday over the "know it all-s" on tv or the internet.

How can you call this a good pick & you admit to knowing so little about the player?