NFL
“Who Is QB 3?” Ty Simpson Shock Leaves Carson Beck and Garrett Nussmeier in Spotlight
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Baylor v LSU - Kinder's Texas Bowl by Alex Slitz | Getty Images
The Rams stunning decision to take Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson with the 13th pick sent shockwaves throughout the NFL and will definitely impact the second day of the draft.
For one, it opens the possibility of the Arizona Cardinals, who many league executives believed were the most likely suitors for Simpson in round two, as a team who quite likely to grab a different prospect today.
The Steelers, who are hopeful of Aaron Rodgers returning as quarterback but have no assurances according to league sources, are also a potential to grab a passer this weekend, along with the Jets and any number of clubs on the hunt for a developmental quarterback (Green Bay, in particular, is worth monitoring in that regard, other teams believe.
Who Is QB 3?
As to who is the next quarterback selected, Miami’s Carson Beck is the name I heard the most. His personality and some of his quirks did not endear him to everyone, but he played a lot of high-level college football and had to adapt to different systems and is coming off his best season , though it did include some of the meltdowns and rough interceptions from his past.
“I think Beck is the next one,” one general manager told SportsBoom.
“We like him a lot more than Simpson… Usually, when something like that happens (a team takes a quarterback a round higher than expected), there is a trickle down."
Especially, with this being a lighter quarterback draft class, those teams that do have a day-two passer in mind might be more keen now to grab him.
The quarterback in this draft class who was gaining the most steam with team, after his workout, was LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier, who battled through injuries last season and has won teams over with his mentality and makeup. His performance last season was compromised by a painful oblique injury.
“The more we learned about what he played through the more impressive it was,” a personnel executive told SportsBoom.
“I could get behind him as the second or third quarterback in this draft before Simpson.”
Well, with Simpson sailing much higher than anyone projected, it stands to reason other quarterbacks are going to benefit from a similar tailwind Friday night.
La Canfora has covered over 20 Super Bowls and League Meetings and NFL drafts, building a wide network of sources throughout all aspects of the game. He was an award winning print journalist as well, working at The Detroit Free Press and The Baltimore Sun prior to his first stint at The Washington Post. He has covered sporting events around the world, including two Winter Olympics and all of the 2006 World Cup. He attended his first NFL game in 1978, and would soon kindle what has become a lifelong love and appreciation of the sport. La Canfora is also a professional handicapper, specializing in the NFL, creating a daily sports wagering game show - "Wanna Bet?" He also hosts nationally broadcast NFL radio shows in the US, as well as a daily sports radio show in his hometown of Baltimore, Maryland.