Early evidence suggests Rams made right draft decision all along

Whether you hoped the Los Angeles Rams would select Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq or USC wide receiver Makai Lemon, the results were the same. You almost certainly made your opinion known on social media. Instead, the Rams welcomed Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson into the Blue and Yellow kingdom.

Led by a rebellious enclave of less-informed NFL analysts, the argument relied on the age-old concept of giving frustrated quarterbacks more weapons. But the only skill player to leave the NFL's top-scoring offense was seldom-used receiver Tutu Atwell.

Drafted by the Eagles, Lemon suffered a hamstring injury and is only now returning to practice. With the Jets, Sadiq suffered a setback after undergoing offseason hernia surgery.

Meanwhile, Simpson played well enough in his first preseason game to quiet even his harshest critics. Despite the boy crying wolf over Simpson, it appears that general manager Les Snead made the right choice.

Analysts ignored obvious reason Rams chose Simpson

Draft analysts attempt to cover 32 NFL teams. Limits to the time and energy required to research each organization's needs, inclinations, and fits force mock drafts to apply a cookie-cutter approach.

As a result, Round 1 projections follow the same script. In essence, bad teams draft a quarterback. Offense-centric teams draft receivers or bookend offensive tackles. Defense-centric teams draft edge rushers or cornerbacks.

But that one-size-fits-all approach wouldn't have worked for the Rams. For starters, their return on investing in either a receiver or tight end in the first round this year would be no better than for later prospects. The reason was clear.

The roster already had four productive tight ends. It featured five returning receivers. And Snead did address both positions by drafting Max Klare on Day 2 and CJ Daniels on Day 3. Both look like key future cogs in the offense.

But nobody paid attention to the quarterback room. Who knows how long Stafford will play? Backup Stetson Bennett is a pending free agent. By drafting a quarterback, LA insulated itself from the task of recycling other teams' castaways.

Simpson's electric preseason debut was merely icing on the cake. The Rams had to address the quarterback position now to avoid a future disaster. And in Klare and Daniels, they addressed tight end and receiver to boot.

As always, thanks for reading.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow