Rams 1st round pick, #13…Ty Simpson

Why Rams, Ty Simpson lied about meetings before NFL draft: ‘Stayed on script’

Vincent Bonsignore

https://nypost.com/2026/04/28/sports/why-la-rams-ty-simpson-stayed-silent-on-predraft-meetings/

The Rams‘ interest in Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson was always much deeper than they let on.

But the signs of their infatuation were always there. Like when they sent their southeast area scout as their lone representative to Simpson’s pro day in Tuscaloosa last month.

Nothing against Billy Johnson at all. He’s very good at what he does. That’s evidenced by the talent the Rams keep pumping into their building every year.

But in contrast to the Raiders, who sent an army of executives and coaches to Fernando Mendoza’s pro day in Indiana, the Rams went as minimally as possible for Simpson.

It was a classic head fake to downplay their intentions with the Crimson Tide quarterback. Not so much to their fans, but to the handful of teams across the NFL that needed a quarterback.

The esteem the NFL holds for Rams general manager Les Snead and head coach Sean McVay is so high that when they see potential in a prospect, especially a quarterback, other teams will want that prospect too.

The Jets and Cardinals come to mind. Both passed on Simpson with the picks they held at No. 2 and No. 3, with the idea of potentially selecting him later in the first round or early in the second.

Concerned that those teams might learn of their interest in Simpson, and perhaps trade up in the draft to snag him before their first pick at No. 13, the Rams kept their courtship of Simpson decidedly low-key.

That included the clandestine meeting Simpson recently revealed he had with Rams head coach Sean McVay and general manager Les Snead in the days leading up to the draft. In that meeting, McVay and Simpson conversed for multiple hours.

“They talked football at a high level,” Snead said during an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show.

Remember, Simpson completely downplayed his pre-draft interactions with the Rams shortly after they selected him in the first round last Thursday.

“It was really brief, to be honest with you,” Simpson said at the time. “I met with some scouts in Alabama, and that was really it. They talked to my agent, but that really wasn’t much.”

Simpson completely reversed course this week during an appearance on ESPN’s “Amber and Ian” show, finally admitting that he and the Rams not only had a far deeper connection than many assumed, but that they wanted to keep those feelings as confidential as possible.

“We tried to keep this under wraps as long as we could,” Simpson said during his radio hit. “It was something to where I knew they were interested, but they wanted to make it private and didn’t want people to know that they were interested.

“So, I had some secret meetings with Coach McVay, and I just was trying to be on script and do what everybody told me and not to tell anybody.”

“He stayed on script,” Snead said.

The interactions with McVay are of particular importance, given his stoic demeanor during his post-first-round media availability on Thursday. To some pundits, it gave the impression that McVay did not support the Rams’ decision to use such a high draft pick on a player that might not see the field until 2028.

Nothing could be further from the truth, of course. Anyone who knows the relationship between McVay and Snead, and the collaborative manner in which they make personnel decisions, knows Snead would have never selected Simpson or anyone else at that point in the draft unless McVay was completely on board.

Turns out, McVay and Simpson had been building a relationship for a while now. No surprise that the son of a college football coach would vibe as well as he did with McVay during their private meeting.

“It was just straight football. And it was like a kid in a candy store,” Simpson said. “Me and him are sitting there, and we’re just going back and forth. You can tell the obsession he has for the game, and you can tell the love he has for quarterback play.

“It’s something that I appreciate, and it’s something that I enjoy because I really enjoy playing the position and value the position. So, being with him and then getting to know him and then just seeing a little bit of how I would get coached if I was fortunate enough to go there was something that I couldn’t have asked for a better situation.”

wv wrote:

1 Ty simpson

2 Reuben Bain, Edge, Miami
3 M.Lemon, WR, USC
4 Blake Miller, OT, Clemson
5 KC Concecion, WR, Texas AM
6 Kenyon Sadiq, TE, Oregon
7 Omar Cooper, wR, Indiana

No way they would have gotten Omar Cooper in the 7th round.

Me: according to Atkins, there was an offer to trade down from 13, but the Rams didn’t like it. I underline the passage where he says that.

***

How the Rams made the bold business decision to draft QB Ty Simpson

Nate Atkins

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7231192/2026/04/29/rams-ty-simpson-nfl-draft-matthew-stafford/?source=emp_shared_article&unlocked_article_code=1.elA.y07C.afQVGuEZZ3MB

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — The story of the Los Angeles Rams’ 2026 draft class will run through Ty Simpson.

The choice to spend the No. 13 pick on a quarterback, with Matthew Stafford coming off his first MVP season, was a splash that created a ripple. The discourse inside and outside the Rams’ draft headquarters at Hollywood Park took on a life of its own in the phone calls, news conferences and days afterward.

A pick of this type, this year, held an underlying tension that was impossible to avoid.

Coach Sean McVay and general manager Les Snead felt two forces pulling them at once: an urge to push this team over the top for another Super Bowl it could host in SoFi Stadium in February, and staying power at the game’s most important position that defines whether they’re a contender going forward.

The competing messages, the body language and unfolding timelines left people outside the Rams’ facility, as well as some inside, wondering the same question: Who really is Ty Simpson, and why is he the quarterback the Rams felt they had to select in a Super Bowl-or-bust campaign?

How Simpson became the pick

This was always supposed to be the year the Rams drafted the heir to Stafford’s throne.

It’s why they traded out of the first round last year with the Atlanta Falcons to add an extra 2026 first-rounder. A Rams franchise that expects to be in the playoffs each year needed to forge a path to a pick in the top 20.

As this year’s quarterback class whittled in size and quality with Texas’ Arch Manning, Oregon’s Dante Moore and South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellers returning to school, the concept of picking late in most drafts still drove the decision to take Simpson at No. 13.

The Rams took the second quarterback in this class behind Fernando Mendoza, who went No. 1 to the Las Vegas Raiders. Had they waited, they likely would have been left looking at the fifth or sixth quarterback available in the 2027 draft.

They weren’t sure where Simpson would go if they didn’t draft him. But they believed the Arizona Cardinals, who owned pick No. 34 in the second round, had heavy interest, a team source told The Athletic. They could either lock in Simpson as their future or risk facing him twice a year within the NFC West.

“Like I’ve mentioned here, the sea is going to shape the 13th pick,” Snead said shortly after the selection. “He had to fall.”

The risk of Simpson going before No. 13 was low, given league expectations and a profile that featured just 15 college starts and average measurables.

But the quote also showed how the Rams handled being on the clock. The available options looked much as expected, as the first 12 picks featured 11 players they projected to be gone before their selection, with the lone exception being Alabama offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor, who went to the Miami Dolphins one pick earlier.

The trade offers that came the Rams’ way at No. 13 were “soft,” a team source told The Athletic. The Dallas Cowboys traded up to take Ohio State safety Caleb Downs. The Detroit Lions had interest in moving up, a team source said, but the return didn’t excite in a draft that thinned out considerably by Day 3 due to so many college players returning for name, image and likeness compensation.

With a deep roster, the Rams weren’t looking to add late picks, as showcased by their later decision to turn three selections into one to move up 10 spots in the sixth round for Miami wide receiver CJ Daniels. And in the end, they came out with a five-player draft class.

“We’re fortunate that our roster’s in a place where we felt like we didn’t have a ton of glaring needs,” assistant general manager John McKay said. “We were able to take guys that we really felt confident in being contributors right away, but also be starters three, four years or two years down the line.”

The Rams did consider players at potential impact positions. They looked into USC’s Makai Lemon, who won the Biletnikoff Award as college football’s top wide receiver. They examined Oregon’s Kenyon Sadiq, who posted the fastest 40 time of any tight end since at least 2003.

Had the Rams not taken Simpson, they would have gone with an offensive skill player, according to a team source. But it was difficult to see either rookie providing an immediate impact, given the Rams’ crowded tight end room and the limited volume remaining for a third receiver to play behind Davante Adams and Puka Nacua.

It was a risk, given that what they need is impact in big moments. In the NFC Championship Game against the Seattle Seahawks, the Rams had a third-and-goal where rookie Terrance Ferguson couldn’t get open and seventh-round rookie Konata Mumpfield couldn’t reel in the pass, and the Rams lost 31-27 to end their season.

The draft did feature a wide receiver the league saw as a true No. 1 option in Ohio State’s Carnell Tate. But the first big surprise of the event came when the Tennessee Titans drafted him No. 4 overall. The Cleveland Browns at No. 6 were looking to trade back, and they did so with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Without a player obtainable who screamed Year 1 impact, the Rams fell more in love with the idea of long-term fits.

One they took a liking to was Penn State guard Olaivavega Ioane, who went one pick later to the Baltimore Ravens. But like Simpson, he would have been a backup this season with Kevin Dotson and Steve Avila playing out contract years.

The Rams were prepared enough to draft and stash Simpson that they planned to do so even if Jimmy Garoppolo re-signed as their backup, a team source said. They were building out a quarterback room for a rookie to learn in. The Rams wanted to keep that interest quiet, so they held a secret meeting with McVay and Simpson, which ran “hours and hours” on football, Simpson told ESPN Radio on Monday.

“We tried to keep this under wraps as long as we could,” Simpson said on ESPN Radio. “It was something where I knew they were interested, but they wanted to make it private and didn’t want people to know that they were interested. So, I had some secret meetings with Coach McVay, and I just was trying to be on script and do what everybody told me and not to tell anybody.”

Snead confirmed on “The Pat McAfee Show” Tuesday that he was also part of the meeting.

“I was in that meeting with him and Sean, for sure,” Snead said. “They talked football at a high level.”

Los Angeles viewed this year’s first round as a two-player haul. The first was Trent McDuffie, the All-Pro cornerback from the Chiefs whom they landed by trading the No. 29 overall pick, and then signed Jaylen Watson to complete their secondary.

Had the Rams sent out the No. 13 pick to the Chiefs for McDuffie and spent No. 29 on Simpson, it’s possible that the vision could have spoken more for itself.

When they didn’t, McVay and Snead held an 11-minute news conference without an opening statement, their usual humor or many details about Simpson the player. The vibe was one of “just trust us,” except they couldn’t find the trust to speak freely that night.

A deeper look at the process behind some of the more interesting moves and trends of this year’s NFL Draft.
They feared how a jubilant news conference would play with Stafford, who has been actively engaged in contract discussions with the team. Snead said two days before the draft to expect no drama with Stafford’s deal, and holding a muted presser about his backup was part of carrying that hope through.

It was a curious calculation, though, about a reigning MVP who should have no reason to fear a quarterback with 15 college starts coming to take his job. As the Rams weighed protecting the emotions and confidence of their quarterbacks, they sided with a 38-year-old in his 18th season over a 23-year-old rookie.

It all produced a tone that struggled to fit the biggest moment in their new quarterback’s football life. As Simpson broke into tears on the phone and said, “Let’s go make history, coach,” McVay struggled to match the energy. It was a rare slip for one of the sport’s most energetic forces.

When Simpson arrived at the draft headquarters for his own news conference and held up a freshly designed Rams jersey with his name on it, neither his coach nor his general manager was in attendance. By the time he arrived in Los Angeles the next day, he had only heard from one of his new teammates, captain and safety Quentin Lake.

Rams players have been expecting an all-in push for a Super Bowl, too. If they looked to the news conference for a reason for drafting Simpson in Round 1, the answers were difficult to find.

Snead described Simpson as “somebody who can execute a passing offense and has mobility.” McVay’s first comment on his new quarterback was to say he’ll compete with Stetson Bennett to be their No. 2.

Rams had alignment, despite the optics

McVay said he could feel the tension mid-news conference, and by the time he returned to his phone, he had scores of texts from friends asking about his mood.

“I couldn’t be more excited about being able to add him, but also understanding how much I love Matthew Stafford, how respectful you want to always be, and to the way things can be interpreted,” McVay said Friday night after Rounds 2 and 3.

Then he patted Snead on the back.

“The one thing that would never be doubted is we couldn’t be any more lockstep in every decision that we make,” McVay said. “This is my buddy right here.”

Snead was never going to draft a quarterback to develop who McVay wasn’t into. It would waste the infrastructure that justified a sit-and-wait approach, and McVay has long had broadcasting options for whenever Stafford is finished playing if he wasn’t on board.

But this was a new space for them all, having never drafted a passer to develop behind an incumbent.

It’s a maneuver with precedent: the Chiefs drafted Patrick Mahomes behind Alex Smith in 2017; the Green Bay Packers drafted Aaron Rodgers behind Brett Favre in 2005 and then Jordan Love behind Rodgers in 2020; and the San Francisco 49ers drafted Trey Lance behind Garoppolo in 2021. But in three of those situations, the team wound up trading the incumbent in order to make the transition.

The Rams are promising the opposite.

“Whenever that time comes for him to get an opportunity to be Matthew’s successor will be on Matthew’s terms,” McVay said.

Simpson does bring traits that fit the Rams’ vision. He was college football’s top passer on play action last season, according to Pro Football Focus, and will now join a team that led the NFL in play-action passes to produce the league’s No. 1 scoring offense. His mobility can add a flavor to their play-action rollouts.

Other parts of the fit are not as clean. For one, they have no idea when he’ll get his chance, since Stafford has long held a year-by-year control over how long he’ll play. For another, Simpson is 6-foot-1, 211 pounds without a trademark playmaking trait. Just five years ago, the Rams traded Jared Goff and two first-round picks in order to chase the rare physical and playmaking traits of Stafford.

How Simpson can unlock more aggressive moves

Simpson arrives on a four-year rookie contract that averages $6.1 million per season, or $42 million less than Stafford made under the cap last year. A franchise currently struggling to retain all of its successful draft picks is seeking greater financial flexibility, even if it comes with a trade-off.

The Rams can now be more aggressive in trade talks with their 2027 draft picks, a factor that helped drive the decision to take a quarterback now rather than wait a year, a team source told The Athletic. The Rams see established NFL players as having a greater impact than rookies, which illustrates their trade for McDuffie.

That aggressiveness is not expected to target Philadelphia Eagles star wide receiver A.J. Brown despite earlier trade talks, a team source told The Athletic.

But others could be on the radar come October. Just last season, the New York Jets traded All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner to the Indianapolis Colts at the deadline for two first-round picks.

The Rams needed secondary help, but they were protecting their prime 2026 and 2027 selections to find a future at quarterback.

Time will tell if Simpson can deliver on his draft stock. Some answers will likely come before he has to play, as the Rams know that anything short of a Super Bowl appearance this season will be seen as a disappointment.

They were willing to take that gamble.

“When you find somebody that you think fits that system and has the buy-in from everybody in the building that we found,” Rams director of scouting and analytics Nicole Blake said, “I don’t think it really matters when you take them.

“You just take them.”

What makes me think he CAN work out (though I didn’t say “will”).

* played in a pro style offense and has a football brain that’s like Stafford and McVay, just with less in it so far

* can run and throw on the run…which both adds something to the offense we don’t have with Stafford, and also helps a young qb move the chains when inexperience clogs things up

* has a good enough arm and decent accuracy

* is known as a fast processor

* Rams have the coaching. Ragone, Scheelhaase, Kingsbury, and that Mc-whatzhizzname guy.

Do I LIKE him? Not yet. I need to see him in games.

But until then I will remain cautiously optimistic.

At one key point this vid discusses how Simpson played the last 6 games of 2025 with a cracked rib. That sounds familiar. Bulger played with 2 broken ribs in 2007.

Ty has already been bulgerized.