What Rams reportedly loved about Ty Simpson before controversial NFL Draft decision

The Los Angeles Rams making Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Ty Simpson the 13th overall pick of the 2026 NFL Draft became one of the more controversial decisions of the player-selection process, if only because head coach Sean McVay initially seemed to be at least a little displeased about the move. 

McVay and general manager Les Snead have since insisted that they were on the same page about drafting somebody who one day could replace reigning Most Valuable Player Award winner Matthew Stafford as the team's QB1. For a piece published on Monday, NFL insider Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated shared why the Rams are so high on Simpson this spring.

Ty Simpson impressed the Rams with toughness and by "battling" through adversity

"They loved seeing how he got scraped up, and knocked down, and picked himself up," Breer wrote about how the Rams view Simpson. "The Tide got beaten up in the season opener against Florida State, a loss that was taken as a referendum on everyone in the program, a year and a half after Nick Saban’s departure. But in that game, Simpson fought to his very last snap, a nine-yard run on fourth-and-10, on which he ran through three tackles. And he rebounded in the weeks to follow, putting on clinics against Wisconsin and Georgia. Then, there was the way the season came undone, and how Simpson reacted to that. In the Tide’s 10th game, Oklahoma coach Brent Venables blew open a flaw in their empty protection, getting a free runner through consistently, and creating a blueprint for others. The Rams liked how the Bama coaches put a lot on him to begin with, and what the Sooners drew up made things even harder. Simpson kept battling, like an NFL quarterback has to."

That's all well and good, but such comments ignore the fact that individuals like Saad Yousuf of The Athletic have said that "Simpson was one of the stranger picks of this year’s draft." The Rams are a win-now team and reportedly could soon sign Stafford to a contract extension. Stafford putting pen to paper on such a deal would lead one to believe that the 38-year-old plans to play beyond the 2026 season. Thus, it's unclear when Simpson will be given a chance to start in a meaningful game as long as Stafford remains healthy. 

Rams believe Ty Simpson will one day run their offense?

"Where this really began and ended was with what McVay, GM Les Snead and the crew saw on tape, which was a quarterback who could run their offense," Breer added about the Rams drafting Simpson. "Really, it started with the tape, after the reality set in that Jimmy Garoppolo probably wouldn’t return as Matthew Stafford’s backup, all the way back in March. It ended on Thursday, after McVay apprised Stafford of the plan, and the Rams pushed the button on the night’s biggest surprise."

Simpson is a lottery ticket for a Rams team that played in the NFC Championship Game back in January, and that could have spent the 13th overall pick of the draft on a Week 1 starter at a different position. Questions regarding how McVay and Stafford truly feel about the drafting of Simpson may hover over the Rams through the upcoming campaign. That said, Simpson could go down as the top steal of his draft class if he eventually becomes the Rams' long-term starter.