Sports fans of a certain age might remember the level of patience that was once regularly afforded to quarterbacks drafted in the first round. Back in the day, when a QB was selected in the first round, he wasn't always a day one starter. He wasn't automatically expected to turn the franchise around immediately.
There was almost always a veteran stop gap in place at the QB1 position, and a three or four year plan to bring the youngster along. These days, you can be a "franchise QB" and still not even make it to a third season with your original club.
Look at JJ McCarthy, the 10th overall pick in the 2024 draft. The Minnesota Vikings traded him to the New York Giants on Monday, abandoning that project pick after just 10 games.
Ideally, a young signal
caller would begin his NFL career on the bench, and under the tutelage of a stellar veteran. Los Angeles Rams quarterback Ty Simpson, the 13th overall pick in this year's draft, has this going for him.
Actually, he has all that, and much much more working for him, as the man topping the depth chart, Matt Stafford, is a future Hall of Famer.
“That’s gotta be a dream come true, learning from an MVP and a guy that just approaches every day like a G,” Rams star Bryant Young said, in an exclusive with Ratings.org, on the topic of Stafford mentoring Simpson.
“I feel like that’s gotta be a great situation to get developed and learn from one of the best in the game that can still play at a very high level. You don’t really get a lot of situations like that."
Love that the edge rusher/linebacker Young, who plays for a team in the city where Gangsta Rap was born, used the term "like a G." Dr. Dre would be proud. It seemed like a reach at first, when Simpson went top 15 overall on draft night, as very few people had the Alabama star that high up on their boards.
However, pretty soon it all made perfect sense. Stafford, the league's reigning Most Valuable Player after leading the NFL in passing yards and pass TDs last season, is only contracted for this season, and the next.
Nothing is official, but some speculate that Stafford, the #1 overall pick in the 2009 draft, will step away after this year. Simpson hasn't thrown a pass yet in the NFL, with Stetson Bennett the only Rams quarterback other than Stafford to see action so far this year.
Young additional remarks on the Stafford-Simpson situation, citing a recent example of a similar setup.
"I think Jordan Love got an opportunity like that behind Aaron Rodgers," Young added. "But other than that, a lot of players don’t really get to do that. He’s already got a great mindset picking Matthew Stafford’s brain and just learning from him, him already thinking like that.”
Love served as the backup for three full seasons, waiting in the wings to become the next Green Bay Packers starting quarterback.
Rodgers had the same situation himself in Green Bay, as he served as Brett Favre's backup for three seasons.
This article originally appeared on Draft Wire: Rams first round pick Ty Simpson in perfect situation his rookie year
