Two hugely controversial picks at opposite ends of the NFL Draft spectrum. Was selecting Ty Simpson (Rams) and Jermod McCoy (Raiders) genius or stupid?
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Outside of our New York clubs, the 2026 NFL Draft had a bunch of interesting storylines. There was Ty Simpson as the second quarterback off the board. We had intrigue around the running back position, the generational Jeremiyah Love and lack of really any other prospects at that spot. There was the grouping of elite wide receivers sprinkled all along the first two days. Offensive linemen were grabbed often. It seems the good teams draft a new tackle every year just to keep the cupboard filled.
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Defensively, linebackers took a front seat they don’t often get to experience. The edge rusher prospects varied wildly depending on who you talked to. Defensive back poked its head up at the beginning of the draft and then settled on a Jermod McCoy watch from there on out. It’s too much to cover, so we instead focus on two of the players with the most controversy: Simpson (Rams) and McCoy (Raiders). Were these picks genius or stupid?
Ty Simpson and Jermod McCoy on the Hot Seat
Todd Salem: One is Nonsense, the Other is Genius
The Rams drafted Simpson 13th overall despite having a future Hall-of-Fame quarterback still playing at an elite level. This pick brings up the ultimate draft argument of value. Should the Rams have traded back because no one graded Simpson that high? They could have unearthed more value and presumably gotten the same player later on. That’s one side of the argument.
The other side is if the team is right, and the player ends up being good, the spot in which they picked him becomes almost irrelevant. Along those same lines, if the player is bad and never succeeds, does it matter if they drafted him 13th or 23rd? I suppose slightly, in that they could have gotten more draft capital in the second scenario, but everything about the draft often just comes down to whether the player ends up being good.
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Except not here! The more pressing issue with drafting Simpson is that the Rams are trying to win the Super Bowl this season, and he will not help a single iota with that goal. So essentially, the Rams gave away this pick for nothing when it comes to 2026 championship equity.
When title-hopeful teams are trying to balance the present with the future, it’s always so risky to go “all-in”, sacrifice the future for an old veteran or something of that nature. But the opposite is also true. Looking too far ahead to the detriment of the current team can submarine a locker room. You think any current Rams are going to be thrilled about getting Simpson in there?
On top of all that, the Rams, perhaps the league’s deepest team at tight end, drafted another tight end in round two. It was not a fun weekend for Rams fans.
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Raiders fans had much more fun. The first overall pick will grab the most headlines, but Las Vegas’ fourth-round selection actually held more attention since the former was already a guarantee. In the fourth, LV took cornerback Jermod McCoy.
McCoy was a player who most scouts graded as a first-round talent. Most mock drafts had him going in the first as well. What they didn’t have was McCoy falling all the way to the fourth because of concerns about his surgically repaired knee. At what point does it become worth the risk to take a player of this caliber? After seeing how some teams wasted third-round and earlier selections, I assumed it would have been much earlier than 101st overall!
This reminds me of a much more severe Christian Gonzalez back in 2023. In ’23, Gonzalez was considered the best defensive back in the draft. Because of injury concerns, he ended up being taken as the third corner, 17th overall. This was the classic first-round fall where, every pick, analysts wonder when Gonzalez is finally going to go.
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He didn’t have to wait nearly as long as McCoy, and injuries are not comparable one player to another, but Gonzalez has become one of the best DBs in the league, as scout evaluations surmised might happen.
I expect McCoy to be one of the best defenders out of this draft, even if his career doesn’t get going in earnest until 2027. It’s a perfect mirror to Los Angeles. It’s okay that Vegas spent a pick on a player who may not help them until ’27 because the Raiders aren’t expected to compete for a title this season, and the pick in question was outside the top 100. That’s a draft done well, while LA’s was not.
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Dan Salem: I Love BOTH Picks
While your argument against Los Angeles drafting Simpson is a solid one in principle, I simply cannot ignore the fact that the Rams offer perhaps the most ideal situation for Simpson to become a great player. I compare this to when the Green Bay Packers drafted Aaron Rodgers while a healthy Brett Favre was still on the team and ready to go for another title run. There is literally zero pressure on Simpson for at least two seasons.
It’s true that Simpson likely will not help this year’s Rams at all, but he does create longterm stability assuming he develops well behind Matthew Stafford. Having the next QB in house is huge for a team hunting a championship, because it means that the success can continue. Everything is predicated on Simpson actually being good, but learning behind Stafford with no pressure gives him the best shot at being good. Sean McVay knows what he’s doing and this screams longterm planning. I like it.
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On the flip side, I completely agree with your assessment of the Raiders taking Jermod McCoy. There’s always a risk versus reward battle playing out during the NFL draft, but at some point the risk simply doesn’t matter when the ceiling for the best player available is so darn high.
Injuries are scary and some players never recover, but most players return to 100% after knee injuries these days. It usually takes a full year or more, sorry not sorry Malik Nabers, but they get back to being fully healthy. McCoy might need his entire rookie year to regain his pre-injury potential, but the Raiders can wait. They are still rebuilding in 2026.
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Its fun to compare these two picks because they are polar opposites. No one will care if McCoy is a miss, but the Raiders will be lauded with praise if he succeeds. For Los Angeles, I expect they will be lambasted if Simpson never becomes a starter. However, the praise may be subdued if and when he takes over as the Rams’ starting quarterback simply because too much time will have passed.
Meet our Sports Writers:
Dan Salem is Lead Editor and Co-owner of BuzzChomp. He’s an award winning Actor, Director and Producer. Visit M Square Productions for his film work, or get lost in his old-school comedy on Pillow Talk TV. You can follow him on X, TikTok and Instagram. His latest film ‘Alone’ is now on Amazon.
Todd Salem is a Staff Writer and Contributing Editor at BuzzChomp. He’s also a champion of fantasy football and fantasy baseball, dominating leagues for over two decades. Comment below on his unfiltered opinions.
NFL Draft 2026 – Ty Simpson and Jermod McCoy Debate – This Is The End
Photo Credits: LAtimes.com via Getty Images
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