Scot McCloughan dubs Ty Simpson a "career backup"

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Rams quarterback Ty Simpson didn't slide far enough in the first round to make that into a legitimate source of motivation. If he's looking for it elsewhere, he's in luck. Former two-time NFL General Manager Scot McCloughan recently directed sharp criticism at the 13th overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft. “I think the quarterback from Alabama is overdrafted,” McCloughan said on the Team 980 in D.C., via Valentina Martinez of the New York Post . “But it’s the position alone, you know. I think, not being a guru, but he’s like J.J. McCarthy. He’s like Mac Jones. He’s a career backup .” (It's been a week of catching strays for McCarthy. First, Dianna Russini says he " sucks " in the footage from her January traffic stop. Now this.) “Ideally, he might start, but that’s because of where his pick was and they want to prove everybody right, you know, type of thing,” McCloughan said. “And that’s not the way you should build a roster. Not at all.” McCloughan knows a thing or two about scouting; he served as G.M. of the 49ers from 2008 to 2009, a personnel executive in Seattle from 2010 to 2013 (when they built a Super Bowl champion), and Washington G.M. from 2015 to 2016. Then again, Sean McVay knows a thing or two about quarterbacks. And this is the first potential starter the Rams have drafted since McVay arrived in 2017. (He inherited Jared Goff, and in 2021 the Rams traded for Matthew Stafford.) Time will tell what Simpson will become. With Stafford talking about playing into his 40s , it could be a while before McCloughan is proven right, or wrong.