Rams 1st round pick, #13…Ty Simpson

College: Alabama
Height: 6’1 1/8″
Weight: 211 lbs
Arm: 30 7/8″
Hand: 9 3/8″

from https://www.nfl.com/prospects/ty-simpson/32005349-4d63-9376-c6de-c1666dcadc47

Overview

Former five-star prospect who waited his turn at Alabama and raised his profile in a single season as the Tide’s starter. Simpson is mechanically sound from a footwork and release perspective, providing a favorable foundation to work from. He’s above average as a processor and decision-maker, but timing and anticipation remain works in progress. Arm talent and velocity are average, which limits his success. His repeatable process should help iron out ball placement inconsistencies the more he plays. Simpson is unfazed by shell coverages and is decisive when attacking intermediate zone pockets for chunk gains. He can break contain and move the sticks with his legs, too. Learning to cut bait and avoid sacks needs to be prioritized. One-year starters rarely “boom” so he’ll need a patient staff and a clear developmental roadmap to fill in the missing pieces.

Strengths

Strong four-game stretch against Georgia, Vanderbilt, Missouri and Tennessee
Had freedom to set and adjust protections at the line.
Recognizes coverage quickly and moves through progressions with pace.
Risk management is generally good.
Exceptional footwork, with feet tied to eyes.
Climbs, slides and resets the launch point when edge pressure closes in.
Decisive in probing and attacking intermediate pockets of the zone.
Throws with repeatable mechanics from snap to snap.
Rarely misses basic throws to open receivers between the numbers.
Receiver drops distort his accuracy numbers.
Able to create on second reaction when the play breaks down.
Escapes pocket with enough speed to move the chains.

Weaknesses

Only one season of starting experience.
Carries a below-average build and dealt with nagging injuries in 2025.
Posted a 57% completion rate over his final four games.
Safeties took advantage of lazy eye discipline late in the season.
Base can get jittery when under duress, leading to inconsistent ball placement.
Average arm talent, with throws on the menu that should be ordered sparingly.
Inconsistent timing on deep throws.
Struggles layering the ball over linebackers and beating tight man with precision.
Needs better judgement on when to extend versus when to take a profit.
Held the ball for too long, leading to unnecessary sacks.

from https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/interactive/the-beast-2026/player/ty-simpson-alabama-quarterback/

STRENGTHS

● Quick processor who eliminates things quickly, reads out entire field and finds backside dig/curl
● Repeatable mechanics with quarterback muscle memory
● Athletic enough that defenses must respect his ability to boot or keep on read plays
● Poised, instinctive pocket shuffles; climbs with elevated eyes and sound feet to maintain throwing base
● Delivers with touch, be it a bucket throw or when attacking hole shots
● Not shy giving his target a chance when he likes the look
● Communicates like a pro at the line, setting and resetting pass-pro adjustments
● Impressive mental capacity — you can tell he has been working at his craft for a long time
● Blocking and pass catchers let him down too often, including 30 drops in 2025 (second most among all Power 4 quarterbacks)
● Grew up around a Division I program — ideas of hard work and coachability instilled in him from a young age
● Described as “A-plus” person; voted a 2025 team captain

WEAKNESSES

● Mediocre height and build — looks small at times in the pocket
● Arm strength is more average than above average
● Defenses didn’t always respect his ability to hit certain downfield routes
● Passing accuracy is good but ball placement needs to be better
● Always locates checkdown — too quickly at times and needs to improve read efficiency
● Needs to develop better sense of what is open and what isn’t
● Appeared to second-guess himself over second half of ‘25 season and lost some aggressiveness
● Indecision leads to unnecessary sacks (also fumbled seven times in 2025)
● Toughness won’t be questioned but played banged up in 2025 and was knocked out of Rose Bowl with a fractured rib (Jan. 2026)
● Only one season as a starter — lack of experience shows in different ways

SUMMARY

A one-year starter at Alabama, Simpson operated in the modern-day spread scheme of offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb (Simpson’s third offensive coordinator in four years in Tuscaloosa). He bided his time as an underclassman behind Bryce Young and Jalen Milroe, and he’d earned his degree before throwing his first collegiate touchdown (1,365 days passed between his final high school TD and his first in college). He accounted for 30 touchdowns in 2025 and led the Tide to the SEC championship, although the first half of the season (20 big-time throws, five turnover-worthy plays) was much more consistent than the second (10 and 12, respectively). With his background as the son of a longtime college coach, Simpson received a quarterback education from a young age, and it shows in his mechanics and operation. He doesn’t have any top-tier physical traits but displays a good-enough arm and the mobility to move the launch point (left or right) on naked keepers/boots. He is generally an accurate passer who can digest defensive concepts and read out the entire field. However, he made just 15 career starts, and that lack of experience manifests in his decision-making and precision. He eliminates things quickly — but often too quickly and turns down throws about to come open. Overall, Simpson has the command and process of an NFL quarterback, but he needs valuable experience to be more efficient in his reads, and to better understand what is open and what isn’t. He projects as a low-level NFL starter, with the ceiling of a mid-level starter and floor of a backup (reminiscent of Daniel Jones with lesser physical traits).

canadaram wrote:

didn’t know it was going to be the Rams until he saw the area code on his phone when the Rams were in the clock.

So that tells us one thing.

He has a mind that can immediately identify at least 32 different area codes.

Nate Atkins, from https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/live-blogs/nfl-draft-2026-live-updates-picks-trades-grades-round-1/EXBZeXIHs9zS/4ysoDoEJuALA/
·
Rams make bet on ability to find WRs after first round

The Rams have been in limbo on the future of the quarterback position for a few years, but now they’ve found their answer. They are going to sit on Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson until whenever Matthew Stafford decides to hang it up, which could be after next season or multiple years down the line.

It’s a very curious selection for a team in a Super Bowl contention window and with its highest draft pick in a decade. If the Rams can remain as strong at drafting wide receivers after the first round as they have been, it can work out to still hit both goals. But the Rams are risking a lot in the NFC West by spending the No. 13 overall pick on a backup.

Simpson will get to spend a year behind the scenes learning from Stafford as well as coach Sean McVay and assistant head coach Kliff Kingsbury, who have long track records with quarterbacks. It might be the best outcome for him, as he started just one season in college. But when he sees the field is a mystery nobody has the answer to right now.

Jourdan Rodrigue@JourdanRodrigue
Rams HC Sean McVay always has a big say over the first pick the team makes every year.

…

ryan anderson@RLAndersonLAFB
Ty Simpson wasn’t the flashiest QB in this class—but you can see what L.A. fell for 👇

• Full-field processor 🧩
• Elite command at the line (sets protections like a vet) 🎯
• Clean, repeatable mechanics 🔁
• Tough, poised, battle-tested 💪
• 30 TDs + SEC title in lone year starting 🏆
Grew up in a coach’s locker room 🏈, waited behind Bryce Young & Jalen Milroe, then delivered when it was his turn. That wiring matters to Sean McVay
Yeah—limited starts, average arm, some hesitation late in ‘25…but if you believe you can speed up the processing + clean up the decisions ⏩
You might see a QB who runs your offense exactly how it’s drawn up 📋
High floor ⬆️
Scheme fit 🤝
Culture fit 🧬

Persevering. Learning. Developing. Getting better. pic.twitter.com/FFT8OWWIHd

— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) April 24, 2026

Doug Farrar@NFL_DougFarrar
This reminds me a lot of when Kevin O’Connell twisted himself into pretzels talking himself into J.J. McCarthy.

zn@znramsfan
McCarthy never had the profile Simpson does. Which qb got this pre-draft report: “fails to stand out in many of the areas that tend to be predictive of top-level success.” Which 1 got this: “He’s above average as a processor and decision-maker.”

In drafting Ty Simpson, Rams miss chance to further strengthen a win-now roster

Nate Atkins

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7223984/2026/04/24/rams-nfl-draft-ty-simpson-first-round/?unlocked_article_code=1.dVA.StfI.EzxAS1ivwqTb&source=athletic_user_shared_gift_article_copylink&smid=url-share-ta

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — After a decade of waiting and trading draft picks, of going all in on a Super Bowl and paying the credit later, the Los Angeles Rams finally had a top-15 pick again Thursday night.

And when it came time to turn in the card for the No. 13 selection in the NFL Draft, Los Angeles threw out a curveball by taking a backup quarterback. The Rams drafted Alabama’s Ty Simpson as their bridge to a future beyond Matthew Stafford, even though they aren’t sure how much longer their MVP passer will play.

The willingness to go with this pick, rather than waiting for next year’s loaded quarterback class, offered a window into who the Rams really are under this regime: They are not all in on a Super Bowl. They are all in on the quarterback position.

Rather than let the bottom fall out of the most important position and enter quarterback wilderness whenever Stafford decides to hang up the cleats, the Rams locked in a path of some sort, though they aren’t sure what it will look like. They can’t know that because Stafford doesn’t know that yet, either.

“Let’s make one thing clear: This is Matthew’s team,” coach Sean McVay said Thursday night.

Can Ty Simpson take ‘Brock Purdy path’ with Los Angeles Rams?

This is a unique roster and a unique time and space for the Rams, who are fresh off a narrow loss in the NFC Championship Game, hoping to break through for another Super Bowl at SoFi Stadium — and also looking at a world beyond that window.

Whereas the Rams of a half-decade ago traded these draft picks for star players in order to maximize the limited years left for All-Pros like Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey, this version of the team is hedging somewhere in the middle. The Rams did trade a first-round pick this offseason for All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie, to address the biggest weakness on the roster.

Though many expected them to double down on the Super Bowl push with their highest selection since 2016, the Rams instead appeared to treat it as a bonus, justifying a pick for depth and the future.

It still produced a bizarre scene at the Rams’ draft headquarters Thursday at Hollywood Park. McVay and general manager Les Snead held an 11-minute news conference that featured no opening statement, none of their usual jokes and zingers, and few smiles.

“We’ll see,” McVay said when asked if Simpson would be his No. 2 quarterback this season. “He’s going to compete with Stetson (Bennett).”

That was the first statement he made about the 13th pick in the draft.

Across beats covering the Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Indianapolis Colts and now the Rams, this was the first time I’ve covered a first-round draft pick news conference where the regime showed so little excitement about the player selected. By contrast, when the Colts selected Anthony Richardson at No. 4 in 2023, their regime came into the news conference shouting, laughing and releasing pent-up excitement that was palpable with every breath.

It’s possible the Rams didn’t want to appear as if they were ready to move off of Stafford, who is in negotiations on a new contract. But there were ways for the Rams to talk up both quarterbacks in their abilities and upside and the long-term valuation of the role they play. After all, they aren’t the first contender to spend a first-round pick on a quarterback of the future, as the Green Bay Packers did with Jordan Love behind Aaron Rodgers, the Kansas City Chiefs did with Patrick Mahomes behind Alex Smith, and the San Francisco 49ers tried with Trey Lance behind Jimmy Garoppolo.

On its face, the Simpson selection was an attempt to chase that model used by other premier franchises. The messaging, however, presented it more as an afterthought than the driving motivation.

Perhaps it was a pick about needs more than wants. McVay has said previously that he struggled with the loss to the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Championship Game as much as any in his career, knowing they were just a few yards away from facing the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl. But he is also renowned for his work with quarterbacks, and now the Rams were selecting one for him to mentor and mold for years to come, first while sitting and learning behind an MVP.

Although Snead and McVay didn’t display much emotion about the pick, Simpson appeared overjoyed and a bit shocked. The only time he met with anyone from the Rams in the pre-draft process was when a handful of their scouts attended a practice at Alabama.

“The fact that Sean McVay and the Los Angeles Rams took a chance on me — and he’s a quarterback genius,” Simpson said. “(Stafford) is one of the greatest of all time, quarterback-wise. We watched his film all the time when I was at Bama. … How cool, calm and collected he always is. He’s so smart. He can manipulate the defense, and he’s a gunslinger. He has no fear.

“As a quarterback, you have to have no fear when you’re in the huddle. He slings that ball all around, and he makes people better around him.”

Part of the strangeness of Thursday was hearing as much about Stafford as the quarterback the Rams selected. If the Rams had reasons for seeing Simpson as elite enough to spend the No. 13 pick on and wait at least a year to see on the field, it was difficult to find in the news conference.

“At the end of the day, processing the football,” Snead said of the pick. “It’s somebody who can execute a passing offense and has mobility. There’s a lot more variables that go into it, but that’s the macro.”

Snead was also impressed by Simpson’s resolve in a limited sample of just 15 starts last season, when he threw 28 touchdowns to five interceptions to lead Alabama to an 11-4 record and an appearance in the second round of the College Football Playoff.

“This was Ty’s first year starting, and then they go through what they did at Florida State — the world is ending,” Snead said. “… Even though they didn’t win their final game, they had a good run in the SEC and in the playoffs.”

The Rams had other options in the draft. They could have taken USC wide receiver Makai Lemon, who won the Biletnikoff Award as college football’s top wide receiver last season with 1,156 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns. They could have opted for Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq, who caught eight touchdown passes last season and, at 241 pounds, posted a 40-yard dash time of 4.39 seconds, the fastest of any tight end at the NFL Scouting Combine since at least 2003.

It’s unclear whether the Rams had an option to trade back.

“Like I’ve mentioned in here, the sea’s going to shape the 13th pick,” Snead said. “He had to fall.”

It’s hard to find any projection that had Simpson going in the top 20, however. But if the Rams felt sold on a quarterback of the future, it also stands to reason why they wouldn’t risk trading back to land that player.

It’s just difficult to rationalize this pick with the current build of the roster, which has given signs all offseason of entering another all-in push for a Super Bowl. In addition to trading for McDuffie and making him the highest-paid cornerback in NFL history at four years, $124 million, they also signed his running mate at cornerback from the Chiefs, Jaylen Watson.

So many expected the Rams to take a swing at an offensive skill player, as they’ve toyed with the idea of trading up for one in recent drafts.

It’s always possible, of course, that Simpson will see the field this year. Stafford is 38 and managing a degenerative back issue. He’s had four seasons derailed by serious injuries.

But short of an injury, the Rams chose to take the one position least likely to create that impact in a season with Super Bowl goals.

“I would say sitting up here, the vision has always been to chase special with Matthew Stafford. That’s the vision,” Snead said. “I hate sitting here and going, ‘You’re a player away in the draft from the Super Bowl.’

“At the end of the day, what we want to accomplish in the draft and (with) any acquisitions that we have is to try to engineer as competent of a team as possible, and then let’s go to work. Let’s get through May, let’s get through June, let’s come back in August, let’s then go to Australia and play Game 1 and try to be the best team and evolve and try to play our best football at the end.

“I don’t want to sit here in April and say, ‘OK, we draft one player, and now we go to the Super Bowl.’ There is a lot, a lot of hard work between this night and whoever is playing in that game in February.”