Re: Not alone. Not wrong. Not right.

Quote
Ramsdude
A ton of people, including some very smart ex players and media who also questioned the pick at the time. I don't think many question his "potential" but they do question where he was picked and whether or not it was a smart move to do during an all in year.

"During an 'all in' year"? Every year is an all in year for great franchises.

Look at the roster.

The QB is set.
The RBs are set
The OL is set. Could always use depth. Not at #13 though. Picked a versatile guy. If health is good, he'll watch this year.
The TEs are set. Still added to that in the 2nd round, which says a lot about their 13P approach.
The DL is set .... they even improved that with Keenan who was ranked a helluva lot higher than where he went (#131; #144, #140). Then of course, Garrett after the draft which makes any DL need miniscule.
The secondary was a huge weakness but that was set up quite well before the draft and locked up for a few years.
The WRs? With 13 personnel (see TE ^^^^) has the need to be 4 or 5 deep at WR lessened a bit? Still got a good one in Daniels. PFF had him ranked #118 overall.
The ILBs? Could have improved that. But Reese and Styles went off the board at #5 and #7. 5 more LBs were taken in the 2nd round and NONE were worthy of the #13 pick. Apparently none were worthy of going any higher than 43 (also 46, 51, 53 and 60).The next LB to go off the board came at pick #118. We had our first three picks selected 25 slots earlier. And they appeared very happy about that.

They took Simpson at #13 for a variety of reasons.

They liked Simpson. A lot.
They needed an heir apparent for Stafford
They never planned to be picking at #13 anytime soon. Certainly not before a year after Stafford retires.
He doesn't have to be "the guy" in year 1, like 1st round QBs.
He may not have to be "the guy" in year 2.
They still end up with 3 years of control....can they also option a 6th year?

So why not Simpson?

What position did taking Simpson cause them to neglect? WR? A lot of fans wanted to see that. Particularly Makai Lemon. But between the TE heavy approach (that helps the OL, the RBs, the QB, not to mention keeps the WR corp fresh) and the fact they have Puka and Adams with Mumpfield, Whittington, Xavier Smith behind them, that didn't appear to be a huge need. But now Daniels behind them, plus one from the PS returning. I don't believe that was neglected.

Who are we kidding? We can second guess their selections infinitely because there's always somebody else to point towards. But it's a lot of fun discussing it until the season starts and there's more important things to discuss, right?

I think they've been a step ahead for a few years now. The only thing that derailed them was massive OL injuries in 2022. Been a serious Super Bowl contender since they won the Super Bowl. Now they're the heavy favorite. Should be fun, if they didn't screw everything up by taking Simpson!!!!



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/05/2026 05:17PM by PARAM.