Matt Simms is not as famous, perhaps, as his two-time Super Bowl champion dad or NBC-employed brother, but he, too, knows what it takes to play QB in the NFL.
The Commanders will likely pick their next QB at No. 2 overall and sign a veteran backup to mentor that choice – and while you can listen to BMitch & Finlay’s take on the latter market down below, know that Simms, up above, is a big fan of one certain Heisman Trophy winner in the former spot.
“To me, Caleb Williams is No. 1 and by a long while – I think Jayden would have been one in a lot of other draft classes if he didn't have a guy like Caleb in the draft – I think Jayden is No. 2, and then probably Bo Nix,” Simms said. “Maybe he’s 3A with Michael Penix as 3B; I just think those four guys have really shown consistency throughout their years, with the different things that they can do, you know, offensively, their arm angles, their athletic, athletic ability too.
So where does that leave Drake Maye?
“I think Drake Maye is absolutely a really good football player too, but I do think that he's a little more raw than I think people may think,” Simms said. “But, we're really fortunate because I do think that these guys are pretty damn special.”
There is a notion that EB brought up on the Junkies Monday that Adam Peters told Jayden Daniels after the 2022 season that he saw his talent as fifth-round, but now he’s Mr. Heisman and a lock to be a Top 3 pick – but as even BMitch said, why is that seen as a problem and not an improvement?
“I think that just comes from just like blatant stupidity, you know?” Simms joked. “I'm sure you guys weren't that great on radio your first time either, but now thousands of reps later, you're pretty damn good at your job. That's what happened for Jayden, and I think we gotta start giving these kids some credit, too. Good thing Jayden left Arizona State, because LSU taught him how to be a pro; good thing Penix left Indiana, because Washington taught him how to be a pro; Nix too, left Auburn and went to Oregon, and they taught him how to be a pro.”
Seriously though, perhaps it’s because QB is the most marquee spot on the field, but also the easiest for the laypeople to criticize?
“I tell my students that playing quarterback is a marathon; you gotta have thick skin, you gotta be tough as hell, you gotta be resilient, and you gotta really love the game of football, because it is the easiest position for us to say, ‘oh, he stinks’ or ‘he's good,’” Simms said. “Meanwhile, no one judges the offensive line or any others because it's too damn hard for normal people to evaluate. So, I credit these guys, and their ability to adapt and survive to the circumstances that they've been put in.”
A good spot can make a bad player better but ’good quarterbacks can land in bad situations and they suck because of it,’ and Simms had a great example.
“I thought a year or two ago, Joe Flacco was totally washed up. I thought he stunk and should retire,” Simms said. “Then I see him with the Browns and I'm like, damn, he might be the best quarterback on the Browns, and that includes Deshaun Watson. Then I realized he just played for the Jets, you know? So it's crazy how football is sometimes, right? Joe Flacco, terrible situation with the Jets, he looked bad, then he gets on a really good football team that's coached really well offensively, and all of a sudden you're like, damn, he could play another five years if you want to.”
So with all that said: is Daniels the right pick for the Commanders at No. 2?
“A lot of coaches changed a lot of people's opinions on like this whole ‘rebuild’ thing and how it has to take two or three years – you get the right coaches and a few key players at a few key positions, this whole turnaround thing could happen very quickly with the right people in place,” Simms said. “For me, if I was a Commanders evaluator, as someone going through this process, I would just say, ‘men it would be very difficult for me to say no to a talent and a quarterback like this.’ And if I was in ownership, I would say, ‘this dude is going to create a lot of buzz and excitement for our organization very quickly, because of his skill set, the way that he carries himself, and his leadership.’ I think he's also a guy that's played NFL-quality type of football in the SEC, like he's just electrifying. He might be the best running quarterback I've really seen since Mike Vick at the position – and he’s really good in the pocket, too. Sometimes, when you're so good at one thing, people complain, but you can’t get upset when he relies on his bread and butter.”
