Some NFL analysts were caught off guard when the Los Angeles Rams used the 13th overall pick on Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson. But if you were watching the signs, the selection was sitting there in plain sight.
The Rams had been linked to Simpson from the beginning, and the logic behind the pick was hard to miss. By the end of the season, the quarterback room was thin, with only Stetson Bennett behind Matthew Stafford on the depth chart.
A day before the draft, Todd McShay went on "The Herd" with Colin Cowherd and said flat-out that the Rams would take Simpson. He laid out why Los Angeles made sense as a landing spot for the Crimson Tide quarterback.
McShay’s mock draft 5.0 had the Rams taking Simpson at No. 13, though he also floated a different path: a trade back to pick up extra selections and still grab Simpson later in the first round. That route never materialized.
The reason was simple. A trade needs a partner, and Detroit never bit. The Rams reportedly had a plan to move the 13th pick to the Lions, who held No. 17, but the deal never got done.
Afterward, reports said the Lions were targeting Alabama tackle Kadyn Proctor, who went to the Miami Dolphins one pick before the Rams were on the clock. No Proctor, no trade.
The hints were there all along. Dan Orlovsky, one of the few analysts who consistently seemed to read the Rams’ plans correctly, had Simpson pegged as a first-round talent. McShay also suggested Simpson could go as high as sixth overall because of how desperate quarterback-needy teams can get.
So while the pick may have looked surprising in the moment, it really wasn’t some wild leap. It was need, talent and timing lining up at once.
The Rams have taken plenty of heat for the move, and that criticism will only grow louder if Simpson doesn’t deliver. But rookie quarterbacks can struggle even when they start right away and have an offense reshaped around them.
That’s not the setup here. Los Angeles is not starting Simpson this season, and it is not rewriting the offense to fit him immediately.
Instead, the Rams are putting him in a spot where he can spend at least a full year learning from Stafford and working with a coaching staff known for developing quarterbacks before he ever has to face NFL defenses.
It may sting to spend such a valuable pick without an immediate payoff. Still, the Rams clearly believe the wait is part of the value. They can afford to be patient.
Be patient. It will be worth the wait.
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Matthew Staffords Role In Ty Simpsons Future Just Got More Interesting
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For the Rams, the more immediate development story is unfolding in the quarterback room, where first-round pick Ty Simpson is learning behind Matthew Stafford. Simpson has leaned on Stafford for guidance as he settles in, and the veteran's presence has given the rookie a steadier path than most young passers get, even as the bigger questions about how far that relationship can go remain part of the intrigue. [Read more 🡒]