Bill Barnwell Apr 28, 2026, 06:45 AM ET

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Bill Barnwell is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com. He analyzes football on and off the field like no one else on the planet, writing about in-season X's and O's, offseason transactions and so much more.

He is the host of the Bill Barnwell Show podcast , with episodes released weekly. Barnwell joined ESPN in 2011 as a staff writer at Grantland.

The surprise of the 2026 NFL draft undoubtedly came at No. 13, when a Rams organization that had been popularly linked to options at wide receiver and offensive tackle instead drafted Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson . A team that came within a few snaps of advancing to the Super Bowl with a 38-year-old quarterback could have added a player to help get over the top and win a title. Instead, it drafted a long-term replacement for reigning MVP Matthew Stafford .

To some, this was a stroke of genius.…