There have been a lot of hot takes thrown around about the Los Angeles Rams drafting Ty Simpson in the first round, but this one might be the spiciest.
Former Jets general manager and current ESPN front office insider Mike Tannenbaum absolutely loves the Rams’ decision to take Simpson. In fact, he likes it so much that he’s willing to fight anyone who says it wasn’t “one of the greatest decisions we’ve seen in recent memory.”
"I am ready to fight anybody who says this wasn't one of the greatest decisions we've seen in recent memory,” he said on ESPN.
Hyperbolic? No doubt. But Tannenbaum believes the Rams were wise to invest in the quarterback position before they need someone to replace Matthew Stafford. He cites the way the Packers did it with Aaron Rodgers replacing Brett Favre and Jordan Love replacing Rodgers, making for a seamless transition from signal caller to signal caller.
“Those were decades-long positive decisions. And you can ask the Pittsburgh Steelers guys how easy it is to replace a franchise quarterback in Ben Roethlisberger,” Tannenbaum added.
"I am ready to fight anybody who says this wasn't one of the greatest decisions we've seen in recent memory."—@RealTannenbaum on the Rams drafting Ty Simpson 13th overall 👀 pic.twitter.com/lIykiUdtiw
One reason the Rams decided to pull the trigger now is that they don’t plan to be drafting this early again. They’re perennial contenders with Stafford, putting them near the end of the first round each year.
“They’re not going to be drafting very high for the foreseeable future. They’re playing chess and a lot of other teams are playing checkers. And by the way, at 38 years old with a bad back, it’s not inconceivable that Ty Simpson is on the field during a 17-game season. So this should pay off for a long, long time.”
Tannenbaum’s logic is sound, but calling it “one of the greatest decisions” in recent memory is a stretch right now. There’s no guarantee Simpson pans out and becomes a franchise quarterback. If he does, great. But he has work to do in order to make it to that point.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Rams drafting Ty Simpson is 'one of the greatest decisions: Ex-NFL GM