NFL draft 2026 takeaways: Rams reach, Cowboys retool and Jets add juice

Analysis NFL draft 2026 takeaways: Rams reach, Cowboys retool and Jets add juice Oliver Connolly The win-now Rams shocked by picking a QB and the Cowboys addressed their disastrous defense as a faster-paced first round reshaped the NFL draft’s opening night The Rams reach for Stafford’s successor The Rams delivered the biggest shock of the night, sticking at pick No 13 and selecting Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson. It was a stunner that seemed to take even their head coach by surprise. Sean McVay seemed less than enthusiastic at the Rams’ post-pick press conference, and Simpson said in an interview that he’s never met McVay. Maybe it shouldn’t have been a shock. Simpson, who started just 15 games in college, hemmed and hawed about whether to enter the draft at all. But a key reason he entered the class was Rams general manager Les Snead telling him he was a first-round pick. On Thursday, Snead stuck to his word, reaching for a quarterback tabbed as a fringe first-round prospect. It makes some sense. The Rams don’t expect to pick in the top half of the first round again any time soon. They’re slap-bang in the middle of the championship window, with the best roster in the league. If they believe Simpson can be a viable starter, it will extend that window beyond the career of Matthew Stafford, who has toyed with retirement and has only one or two years left in the league. But taking a flier on Simpson at No 13 was a reach. He is a historic outlier in size, weight and starting experience. The history of quarterbacks arriving with so little tape is gnarly. Only one quarterback has made a Pro Bowl with 15 or fewer college starts: Mitchell Trubisky, whom the Bears couldn’t wait to move on from after four seasons. And the history of quarterbacks who play at 6ft1in, 211lb or under is just as grim. The only quarterbacks who’ve had success at that size have been either electric athletes or Drew Brees, one of the most accurate passers in the history of the league. Simpson is nei...