John Middlekauff#48 of 87 NFL pundits · Apr 27, 2026
Middlekauff hammers the Rams for taking quarterback Ty Simpson 13th overall, arguing Simpson's ceiling is only that of a 10th-to-15th-best NFL quarterback and that the pick can't repay its cost. They also caution against the 2027 quarterback hype, saying that based on last season's play Dante Moore, not Arch Manning, would be their No. 1 overall pick.
Said on air or in an interview · 3 and Out with John Middlekauff (podcast)Hear the original
What John Middlekauff said
our reading, beside the words we read it fromHis best case scenario is to be like the tenth to fifteenth quarterback in the NFL, that's best case scenario.
- Where it was said
- 3 and Out with John Middlekauff (podcast)
- The episode
- 3 & Out - NFL Post Draft Reaction: Steelers botch Makai Lemon pick, Rams overdraft Ty Simpson, bad draft for 49ers?
- The original
- Hear the original
- Read it wrong?
- Tell us and we will look
The page this came from has changed since we captured it on Aug 5, 2026. The quote and evidence here are from our capture, not from what the page says today.
- SaidApr 27
- GradedAug 5
- 1Matt Moore to be picked at number 1“everyone's Saying Arch banning is the number one overall. Pick i'm rooting for. HIM ... but based on what we saw last. Year number one overall Pick Dante. Moore”
- 2Ty Simpson to disappoint at the next level“But when you use the thirteenth overall pick on a quarterback, the pressure on that guy is to be a top ten quarterback... And that is the issue with the Rams is they paid a premium for a guy, by all accounts, is not a premium. His best case scenario is to be like the tenth to fifteenth quarterback in the NFL that's best case scenario.”
Box score
HitCloseMissWaiting| Verdict | Call | Kind | What happened | Score | Naive | Skill |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matt Moore to be picked at number 11 | Mock Draft Picks | Went undrafted | 0 | 50 | — | |
| Ty Simpson to disappoint at the next level2 | Draft Bust Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| 2 calls · 1 miss · 1 waiting | 0 | 50 | ||||
How each call scored
a naive guessbetter than naiveworse than naive2 checkable claims — 1 draft bust call and 1 mock draft pick — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing call.
It names 3 players and teams, each linked to their own record.
1 of 2 have settled so far, averaging 0 out of 100, against 50 for a naive guess at the same calls.
Each call is scored 0 to 100 against what happened, on its own, by the published methodology. The naive guess is what knowing nothing would have scored on the same calls; the gap, weighted by how hard the call was, is the skill.
Their call against what happened
overall pickTheir call against what actually happened.
Matt Moore to be picked at number 1
What happenedWent undraftedmocked at 10Miss · naive 50Think this is wrong?How this was scored
- draft:
- 2026
- naive:
- a shuffled mock scores 50
- player:
- Matt Moore
- season:
- 2026
- zero credit this far off:
- undrafted
- outcome:
- went undrafted in 2026; later signed with KC
- accuracy:
- 0
- baseline:
- 50
- actual pick:
- undrafted
- difficulty:
- 1
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- pick accuracy:
- 0
- predicted pick:
- 1
- weeks left when called:
- 0
- mock ordering score:
- only one pick — no order to score
2Draft Bust CallsTy SimpsonLos Angeles Rams
Ty Simpson to disappoint at the next level
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Who this take is about
Others on the same people
Colin Cowherd · Trade and Signing Calls · Matthew Stafford · Hit 100
Cowherd predicts Matt Stafford stays with the Rams rather than moving on, and says Travis Hunter may underachieve because they're being asked to play both ways — Cowherd doubts they're a No. 1 receiver and would slot them as a No. 2 receiver while being a No. 1 corner.Colin Cowherd · Trade and Signing Calls · Matthew Stafford · Hit 100
Cowherd believes Matt Stafford's public negotiation posturing means he ultimately stays in Los Angeles, and he flags Travis Hunter as a high draft pick who could underachieve because trying to play both cornerback and receiver full-time will hurt him.Chris Simms · Score Predictions · Los Angeles Rams · Hit 93
Simms gave a predicted final score for every Week 9 game, picking the Bengals, Chiefs, Broncos, Lions, Giants, Rams, Cowboys, Saints, 49ers, Patriots, Seahawks, Texans, Bears and Bills, and also said they wouldn't be shocked to see Jacksonville reach the AFC Championship Game.Connor Rogers · Game Outcome Picks · Los Angeles Rams · Hit 100
Rogers picked straight-up winners in every Week 9 game, agreeing with Simms on all of them, and gave a 24-20 Bills score over the Vikings on Monday night.
More draft bust calls
The same kind of call, about other players and teams.
Carter Bahns · Draft Bust Calls · Ashton Jeanty · Waiting
Bahns predicts Ashton Jeanty's role in Las Vegas will continue to shrink, with Mike Washington Jr. functioning as a co-starter/early-down back while Jeanty becomes a receiving-game specialist rather than the every-down featured back they were drafted to be.Jason Fitz · Draft Bust Calls · Cam Ward · Waiting
Fitz predicted Joe Burrow will win NFL MVP, argued Cam Ward is on track to be remembered as the worst No. 1 overall bust since JaMarcus Russell, said the Titans could very likely land the No. 1 pick again, expects Jacksonville to blow out the Colts, sees Indiana's Charlie Becker as a high first-round pick, and believes Lamar Jackson stays in Baltimore long-term.Carter Bahns · Draft Bust Calls · Anthony Richardson · Waiting
Reviewing the moves that led to Chris Ballard's firing, Bahns judges Anthony Richardson, taken No. 4 overall in 2023, a bust who has failed to justify their first-round draft slot.Carter Bahns · Draft Bust Calls · J.J. McCarthy · Waiting
Bahns argues McCarthy's Minnesota tenure was a bust and that they are unlikely to ever live up to their No. 10 overall draft billing, predicting the Giants' low-cost gamble won't pay off and that they may not even beat out Jameis Winston for the starting job.John Green · Draft Bust Calls · T.J. Sanders · Waiting
Green expects the Bills to place second-year defensive lineman T.J. Sanders on injured reserve while Phidarian Mathis returns from suspension to the active roster, and argues Sanders is already trending toward bust status relative to their No. 41 overall selection.