# John Middlekauff: 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. He also cautions against the 2027 quarterback hype, saying that based on last season's play Dante Moore, not Arch Manning, would be his No. 1 overall pick. **Claimed:** Apr 27, 2026 **Pundit:** John Middlekauff — https://missedtakes.co/pundits/john-middlekauff **Outlet:** The Herd with Colin Cowherd (podcast) — https://missedtakes.co/outlets/the-herd-with-colin-cowherd-podcast **How it reached us:** said on air or in an interview **Original:** https://omny.fm/shows/3-and-out-with-john-middlekauff/nfl-post-draft-reaction-steelers-botch-makai-lemon-pick-rams-overdraft-ty-simpson-bad-draft-for-49ers 2 checkable claims — 1 draft bust call and 1 mock draft pick — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing bet. 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. > His best case scenario is to be like the tenth to fifteenth quarterback in the NFL, that's best case scenario. *(their words, quoted for attribution)* ## The claims - **Matt Moore to be picked at number 1** - Kind: Mock Draft Picks · About: Matt Moore - Verdict: scored 0 out of 100, against 50 for a naive guess - **Ty Simpson to disappoint at the next level** - Kind: Draft Bust Calls · About: Ty Simpson, Los Angeles Rams - Verdict: not settled yet ## Who this take is about - Matt Moore — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/matt-moore - Ty Simpson — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/ty-simpson - Los Angeles Rams — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/rams ## What others said about the same people - Chris Long on Los Angeles Rams: Long liked the Rams over the Broncos on Sunday night even without Puka Nacua, and expected the Bills to beat the winless Chargers in Buffalo. He also backed the Bengals over the Steelers, expected an angry Detroit team to handle the Jets, and still thought both the Lions and Vikings could win the NFC North. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/3df9ea25-e57f-4fd7-b20c-c910a1c3633a (scored 0) - Matt Harmon on Los Angeles Rams: Harmon picked the Bengals to beat the Texans in Week 2, expecting Nico Collins to miss the game with a hamstring injury, and also predicted the Titans would be shut out by the Eagles. He took the Rams over the Giants, the Bears over the Vikings, and the Jaguars at Denver. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/21a71025-ab65-4716-ac2c-e77ad5ce3348 (scored 100) - Nate Tice on Los Angeles Rams: Tice picked the Bengals over the Texans in a low-scoring game, the Jaguars at Denver, the Bears over the Vikings, the Patriots over the Steelers and the Rams to edge the Giants, and his Hail Mary was the Cowboys scoring 40 on Washington. He also floated Abdul Carter as a possible All-Pro. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/b6211c80-3d1c-46b8-8a0c-151fc0ba92de (scored 100) - Jared Dubin on Los Angeles Rams: Dubin gave final-score predictions for the same eight Week 3 games, picking the Packers, Bengals, Jaguars, Texans, Vikings, Ravens, Rams and Eagles. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/fe04828a-d532-414c-a58a-54f6505f2263 (scored 42.86) - Richard Sherman on Los Angeles Rams: Sherman picked winners and several exact scores across the Week 3 slate, favoring Seattle, San Francisco, Cincinnati, Detroit, Green Bay, Carolina, New Orleans, Baltimore, the Rams, Philadelphia, Buffalo, Kansas City, Minnesota, the Giants, Jacksonville and Houston, and named Kenneth Walker his MVP. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/c2102f61-711d-4041-af08-065e95ccaf03 (scored 0) - Tyler Sullivan on Los Angeles Rams: Sullivan projects final scores for every Week 3 game, including a Bills blowout of the reeling Chargers, a Chiefs rout in Miami, a Seahawks win over a Mariota-led Washington, and the Saints beating the Raiders in their home opener. He also expects Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels and Jaxson Dart all to be sidelined in Week 3, with Marcus Mariota starting for Washington. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/e4b11b44-d359-4027-a72c-87833f5ff6e3 (scored 47.62) ## More draft bust calls The same kind of call, about other players and teams. - Carter Bahns on J.J. McCarthy: Bahns argues McCarthy's Minnesota tenure was a bust and that he is unlikely to ever live up to his No. 10 overall draft billing, predicting the Giants' low-cost gamble won't pay off and that he may not even beat out Jameis Winston for the starting job. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/02341f40-99de-4692-85a8-db11b66f4966 (not settled) - John Green on T.J. Sanders: 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 his No. 41 overall selection. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/26609082-1dfb-4294-854d-59dfee0c58aa (not settled) - Blaine Grisak on Xavier Legette: Grisak argues the Rams still need a third wide receiver and lists five trade candidates they should explore, while judging both Quentin Johnston and Xavier Legette as first-round receivers who have not lived up to their draft billing. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/9f4d09ab-2993-420f-8113-7269099da319 (not settled) - Carter Bahns on Marvin Harrison Jr.: Bahns argues that Marvin Harrison Jr., the No. 4 overall pick in 2024, is failing to live up to his draft slot and is headed toward being a first-round bust before he reaches free agency. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/321a2ff7-249b-4785-9f6b-d7de4783e42d (not settled) - Jared Dubin on Marvin Harrison Jr.: Dubin argues Marvin Harrison Jr., the No. 4 overall pick, has been marginalized in Arizona's offense and warns that if his current usage and effort continue he will be remembered as a major draft bust. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/fca4bda0-6c98-4a4b-bf70-2dbc2b5a639d (not settled) - Kyle Soppe on Xavier Worthy: Soppe names four players he considers overvalued for 2026 fantasy football after hot 2025 seasons — Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Patrick Mahomes, Rhamondre Stevenson and Harold Fannin Jr. — and argues Smith-Njigba is far more likely to repeat his modest 2024 line than his 2025 explosion, while Xavier Worthy won't justify his first-round draft capital and TreVeyon Henderson takes over New England's lead backfield role. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/5a87db58-a7a1-4566-96ec-251ca84ab033 (not settled) --- Accuracy is 0-100 against what actually happened. The naive guess is what a strategy requiring no knowledge would have scored on the same call — the difference is the skill, and it is what the MissedTakes Score averages. Full method: https://missedtakes.co/methodology We summarize what a pundit said and quote a short span for attribution; we never republish their article. If this is wrong, tell us: https://missedtakes.co/corrections?pundit=john-middlekauff