Yeah Darnold had legit talent when he came out. He's a full sized QB, has a strong arm, and is far more athletic than folks realize. He just came out before he was ready and paid the price. Pete Carroll called him on that shit at his presser after Darnold declared, and Pete was right.
Simpson's a whole different deal. He's kind of like Brees but without the starts and film to show he can be an outlier at this level. He just didn't win the job until his last year in college. So to take him up high you're basically putting all your money on red at the roulette wheel. Or maybe more accurately on a number on that table.
I get people thinking Simpson is the second best option in this class. But then how much falloff is there after him to those others. And that's what you run into when you reach hard for a QB in round 1. You're then going to see other teams taking QBs midrounds who are not that far off the dude you chose, who have questions, sure, but they don't require that top pick. And that top pick of yours isn't bringing in a player at another position who could help your team year one.
Advantage of reaching for him is that you get the 5th year option. But what will that be worth if he's a middling QB starter, or a borderline QB2/Starter. That's not as great of a positive unless you hit on the QB.
I've prepared myself for the Rams drafting him, simply because it would figure they take the dude I don't think is a smart bet. But if that happens McVay increases his odds considerably with his offense. However I will remind everyone that McVay was also the dude who cast a better QB off in Jared Goff. Chances are Simpson won't ever be in Goff's class. So to me Simpson to the Rams doesn't make a lot of sense unless it's at a value range in the draft, i.e. later than round 1 at the very least.