Rams First Round Project
The surprise of the first round of the NFL draft had to be the LA Rams selecting Ty Simpson on Thursday night. Drafting Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson with the 13th overall pick was not on my bingo card.
Simpson walks into a room with the reigning MVP firmly in place and a clear message from the head coach about the pecking order.
“Let’s make one thing clear, this is Matthew’s team,” Sean McVay said in his post-draft news conference.
Matthew Stafford is 38 and entering his 18th NFL season. He led the league with 4,707 passing yards and 46 touchdowns in 2025, won the AP Most Valuable Player award at NFL Honors on February 5, and announced during his acceptance speech that he would return in 2026. Stafford and the Rams are working on a new extension, and both McVay and general manager Les Snead have repeatedly said he is the unquestioned starter. McVay called Stafford before the selection so the pick did not come as a surprise.
Bold Prediction
Dan Orlovsky called Ty Simpson to the Rams, believe it or not, and he should get a pat on the back for getting his prediction correct. However, I do feel a lot of these NFL analysts tend to make dozens of bold calls just, and when something hits, they run with it. It’s part of the job, but it makes for good bragging rights. Speaking of predictions, DraftKings has launched its own online predictions platform where you too can win with bold calls, just like Orlovsky.
Simpson, 23, made the Rams’ decision a straightforward sell about long-term planning. Jimmy Garoppolo, who has served as Stafford’s backup, is an unsigned free agent and has been weighing retirement this spring. Stetson Bennett is under contract and is the only other quarterback currently on the roster. McVay said earlier this week that Bennett, entering his fourth year with the team, will compete for the backup job. Simpson now enters that competition as well.
“Learning from Sean McVay, and then Matthew, who is obviously one of the greatest of all time, I’m looking forward to it,” Simpson said.
Simpson started 15 games in college, all in 2025, and the year was uneven. Through the first nine games he threw 21 touchdowns to one interception and put himself in Heisman Trophy conversations as Alabama opened 8-1. Over the final six games the production dipped to seven touchdowns and four interceptions, and defenses generated more pressure. Simpson reportedly dealt with gastritis late in the season that cost him weight. He finished with 305 completions for 3,567 yards, fourth-most in Alabama history for a single season, was named second-team All-SEC, and was a finalist for the Manning Award. He is the fourth Alabama quarterback taken in the first round since 2020, joining Tua Tagovailoa, Mac Jones, and Bryce Young.
“We’re always going to make decisions that we think are best for the short and the long term,” McVay said. “We’ll be excited to be able to get to work with him, and that’s where we’re at.”
The Rams used the 13th pick that was acquired from the Atlanta Falcons in a 2025 trade. Los Angeles came into the offseason with the clearest hole behind Stafford and addressed it with a first-round investment rather than a veteran bridge. Snead said the club will not push Stafford toward retirement and will let him decide when he is done.
Simpson is not expected to play meaningful snaps in 2026 if the roster holds as constructed. The plan is development time behind Stafford and a backup competition with Bennett. McVay pointed to Bennett’s earlier experience stepping in when Garoppolo missed time in 2024 as a reason for confidence in that room.
Rounds 2 and 3 resume Friday at 7 p.m. Eastern in Pittsburgh. Rounds 4 through 7 run Saturday. The NFL has not released the 2026 regular-season schedule, so the Rams’ Week 1 opponent is not yet known.
