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The Adam Schefter Podcast

Watson's "Great Chance", Ty Simpson Landing Spots, + Replacement Refs?

The Adam Schefter Podcast

ESPN

Sports

4.2802 Ratings

🗓️ 1 April 2026

⏱️ 39 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Adam and ESPN's Dan Stanczyk discuss the best landing spots for Ty Simpson in the draft, Deshaun Watson's chances to start for Cleveland this season, George Pickens' contract negotiations, the possibility of replacement refs, a double Hard Knocks announcement, and an update to the season opener. 0:00 Welcome 0:56 Where will Ty Simpson land? 5:26 A fresh start for Deshaun Watson? 9:31 Will George Pickens get a long term deal before July 15th? 13:06 Replacement refs? 17:01 A double Hard Knocks announcement 21:15 A change to the season opener Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

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0:34.5

Welcome back to the Adam Schifter podcast, Dateline, Scottsdale, Arizona, here for the NFL

0:41.0

owners meetings now wrapping up as we begin to hit back to the East Coast for the full-on

0:48.5

preparations for the NFL draft in Pittsburgh in late April. And with Ty Schmidt traveling back from Scottsdale,

0:57.0

Arizona, where he was the last couple of days, our great producer, Dan Stansick, steps in to lead us

1:03.3

on the weekly six-back. Shafty, great to be with you, as always. You talked about it. It's draft season.

1:09.6

We are 23 days away from when we're taping. 23 days in about six minutes from, well, I guess an hour and six minutes. I'm really getting going in Pittsburgh. So with the countdown is on. We are, we're that close. And we have, like you mentioned, plenty to get to. So let's dive right in. Topic number one, draft related. Plenty to talk about how this is a weak draft class. I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that there's only one quarterback that everyone is for sure. Thanks is going in the first round. That's Fernando Mendoza projected to go number one to the Raiders. But Ty Simpson from Alabama, widely thought to be the second best quarterback in this draft class, and there are a range of opinions about where he'll be drafted. I've seen the Jets at 16, their second first round pick, the Steelers at 21 in Pittsburgh where the draft is, maybe, a team trading back up into the back half of the first round, the Cardinals in round two, the Rams at some point. Like, there are a quarterback, needy teams. He's thought to be the second quarterback off the board. What can you tell us about Simpson's potential landing spots?

2:06.2

As my friend Peter Schroger said, it's a little bit like pin the tail on the donkey right now.

2:10.3

It is hard to find the landing spot early on. And it's starting to feel a little bit like Shador Sanders last year.

2:19.0

Now, that slide was crazy, right? We're not saying that. What we are saying is that it is hard

2:26.2

to find and forecast a team that's going to take him in the first round. Now, look, somebody may

2:32.4

be laying in the weeds and we don't realize that

2:35.4

this team is just waiting to pick Ty Simpson. But while you don't fully know these answers about

2:42.4

the draft, here's what I believe right now. I don't believe he's going to be a top 10 pick.

2:46.4

I don't believe the Jets are going to take him at 16. I don't believe the Steelers are going to take him at 16. I don't believe the Steelers are going to

2:52.1

take them at 21. I don't believe the Browns are going to take them at 24. Now, doesn't

2:58.4

mean I'm right. It's just hunches, talking to people, reading between the lines and having a feel.

3:05.7

Okay? We did this last year for Dor Sanders.

3:08.3

We're doing it this year for Ty Simpson.

...

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