NFL Draft Reaction: Rams-Ty Simpson, Cowboys-Caleb Downs, Giants & Jets Smart

NFL Draft Reaction: Rams-Ty Simpson, Cowboys-Caleb Downs, Giants & Jets Smart

From The Colin Cowherd Podcast by iHeartPodcasts and The Volume

April 24, 2026 · 1h 35m

About this episode

Colin Cowherd and John Middlekauff analyze the NFL Draft, discussing key player selections and team strategies.

Colin is joined by John Middlekauff, host of “3 and Out” to break down the NFL Draft. They start with the Rams drafting Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson at pick #13 and why it was shocking for them to pick him so high after a limited sample size in college, but Colin argues if anyone can turn Simpson into a great quarterback…it’s Sean McVay (3:00). Colin heaps praise on the Cowboys for drafting Caleb Downs and highlights the massive upgrades Dallas has made to their defense rather than paying Micah Parsons (10:30). They agree that the Bucs got great value in taking Reuben Bain at #15 after experts projected him as a top 10 pick (13:45). They discuss the Chiefs moving up to #6 to take cornerback Mansoor Delane and both agree they had no issues with the trade up to get a much cheaper replacement for Trent McDuffie (15:00). Colin argues that both New York teams did well with their combined 4 first round picks and doesn’t see any busts in the group (23:00).  They react to the Titans taking Ohio State WR Carnell Tate at #4, and John believes Tate was a massive reach and that Tate doesn’t have the elite upside that would justify such a high pick…

People in this episode

Host: Colin Cowherd

Guest: John Middlekauff

Topics covered

  • NFL Draft
  • team analysis
  • player evaluation
  • quarterback prospects
  • defensive upgrades
  • draft trades
  • first round picks

Keywords

  • NFL Draft
  • Ty Simpson
  • Caleb Downs
  • Makai Lemon
  • Kadyn Proctor

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Rams, Cowboys, Giants, Jets, Bucs, Chiefs, Titans, Eagles

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