49ers GM can't hide his joy after Rams' Ty Simpson decision

San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch. Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

49ers GM can't hide his joy after Rams' Ty Simpson decision

By Ernesto Cova | Last updated Apr 24, 2026 10:15 AM ET

The Los Angeles Rams made one of the boldest moves in an otherwise uneventful first round of the 2026 NFL Draft.

Instead of trading down or taking someone who could help them now, they used the No. 13 pick to get Alabama's Ty Simpson, who was projected to be a late-first or early-second round pick.

Rams HC Sean McVay didn't look too happy after the selection and was quick to reaffirm that Simpson is only going to compete with Stetson Bennett for the backup QB spot, since the Rams are still Matthew Stafford's team.

That's why, given all the backlash on social media and McVay's reaction, it wasn't much of a surprise to see that San Francisco 49ers GM John Lynch was all smiles when asked about the pick.

John Lynch can't help but smile when asked about Ty Simpson

“First of all, I think another team in our division, they did get a player who is going to impact and I'm talking about Jeremiyah Love, fantastic player,” Lynch said (h/t Matt Lively). “Ty Simpson's a good football player. There was a lot made as to where he would go and what teams would do. It probably surprised everybody. But one thing I've learned over the years is that with the quarterbacks, people will do those type of things. They certainly did, so we'll see.”

I asked John Lynch about his reaction to the Rams selecting Ty Simpson at 13. #49ers pic.twitter.com/8towzxrE1F
— Matt Lively (@mattblively) April 24, 2026

Of course, it's way too early to tell whether Simpson will turn out to be the Rams' quarterback of the future.

He'll get to learn behind one of the best quarterbacks of his generation and from an offensive guru.

However, it was pretty clear that the general manager and the head coach weren't on the same page about this decision. Moreover, even if that were the case, they could've maximized the asset's value by trading down and getting him later.

Only the Arizona Cardinals and Cleveland Browns could've been in the mix to add Simpson, and the Rams could've moved down four or five spots and acquired additional assets in the process.

For now, this will be the biggest head-scratcher of the first round, and watching a divisional rival make such a big blunder, at least on paper, is always great news.

The 49ers didn't make a single pick on Thursday night, but they saw one of their primary threats drop the ball and added more picks to their war chest, so they were clearly one of the biggest winners of the evening.

Ernesto Cova

Ernesto is a bilingual (English-Spanish) sports writer with over eight years of experience covering major leagues such as the NBA, NFL, and MLB. Ernesto’s work focuses on providing insightful, up-to-date coverage of sports, blending his expertise in sports psychology with a passion for analyzing player performance, team dynamics, and trade developments across various sports leagues

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