Dan Patrick whiffs twice in Rams draft critique that fans have known all along

The Los Angeles Rams just reached an agreement to extend veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford. And that has triggered a host of unsolicited commentary from the sports media talking heads. In a land of digital delivery, drive-up windows, and doom-and-gloom-biased news, the strategy for Los Angeles to draft a rookie quarterback in 2026 has been lost in the discussion.

Dan Patrick is a level-headed sports analyst. But he misses the mark completely with his recent comment about LA's decision to draft the runner-up quarterback from this year's draft class. Los Angeles has a roster bursting with offensive contributors that just scored more points on offense than any other team. But that's all deemed irrelevant on draft day.

Just like draft guru Mel Kiper's biting commentary, Patrick snarls a bit at LA's decision. And so, he shares his thoughts:

He makes the general consensus mistake here. His blinders focus on the 13th overall pick, which he argues should have netted the Horns either wide receiver Makai Lemon or tight end Kenyon Sadiq.

But nobody knows if either prospect will have more prosperity in the NFL than wide receiver CJ Danioels or tight end Max Klare. Perhaps even more importantly, neither player was likely to take the football field this season.

LA Rams continue to play chess on a checker board

It's not easy for sports analysts who know a little bit about every sport to dive into the details of one team in one professional sport. And that offers up an ideal perspective for objectivity. But the LA Rams and general manager Les Snead continue to play chess on a checkerboard.

1. Rams will stick with Matthew Stafford as long as they can (a year at a time)

The first gaffe in his discussion is the perspective that rookie quarterback Ty Simpson is somehow a plug-and-play addition to this offense. In reality, it's the very nature of Matthew Stafford's return that allowed LA to draft Simpson.

Projected as a Day 1 prospect, almost all draft profiles named his 15 collegiate starts as a drawback. Others cited his regression during the season as a red flag. In essence, he needs coaching. Eureka! That's the scenario that he finds himself in at Los Angeles.

"One-year starters rarely “boom” so he’ll need a patient staff and a clear developmental roadmap to fill in the missing pieces."

Lance Zierlein

Matthew Stafford needn't babysit the young man. His role is to drive this high-octane offense once more. And that is exactly what he will do. But Simpson will learn all the same, through Stafford's preparation, work ethic, and performance. All the while, Simpson will benefit from the coaching staff's expertise all season.

2. Rams know that they will never have a chance to draft a franchise QB again

Wouldn't it be grand if the moment that the Horns needed a rookie quarterback, one would fall to them as they stepped up to the draft podium? We might as well start that tale with 'once upon a time..." for all the good it will do. Los Angeles does not pick early enough in the draft to count on selecting a top rookie quarterback prospect.

Ty Simpson was the best prospect this team will have the chance to draft for the foreseeable future. Despite the belief that quarterbacks will be plentiful in the 2027 NFL draft, they will be off the board before LA makes a selection.

But the rush to draft quarterbacks will drive other top talent down the board, much like the 2024 NFL draft that allowed LA to select the top edge rusher in that rookie class, outside linebacker Jared Verse. So, drafting Simpson now not only affords LA a chance to coach up Simpson today, but it is a great strategy to avoid the bidding wars for quarterbacks in 2027.

Few understood LA's interest in trading uncertain picks for impact players. Few understand the decision to add a highly intelligent quarterback now to develop him into Matthew Stafford's successor tomorrow.

Yes, general manager Les Snead does things differently. But until it stops working, let's hit the pause button on trying to spout out those 'gotcha's' so quickly. It's quite likely that CJ Daniels and Max Klare will outperform the alternatives to Ty Simpson in Round 1.

As always, thanks for reading.

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