Rams’ Selection of Ty Simpson Leaves NFL Insiders Stunned and Searching for Answers

The prospect of Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson going in the first round always befuddled NFL executives we spoke to leading up to the draft, and they were floored not only with how high he went (13) and who selected him (the Rams).

This went beyond just the normal quirks and unpredictability of the draft selection process. 

It left mouths agape and has already created a stir about how this pick was made and how on board all crucial members of the Rams braintrust is about it. 

One personnel director with another team actually pointed me to a clip from the team’s press conference detailing the selection of Simpson, in which general manager Les Snead made a fairly lukewarm case for the quarterback, who has limited athletic prowess and will not hit the field in all likelihood for years with former Super Bowl MVP Matthew Stafford coming off a season in which he was NFL MVP for the regular season.

“Dude, (head coach) Sean (McVay) looked like he saw a ghost,” ‘the exec said. "You've gotta check it out."

A Ringing Endorsement For A First Round Selection?

Indeed, McVay explained that Simpson will have to compete with Stetson Bennett for a back-up position (developing Bennett, who is already 28 and was a fourth-round pick in 2023, is something league sources said is a project McVay is passionate about and he always saw him as a value-play with eventual starting upside). 

McVay, with his entire fanbase hanging on every word to defend this pick, made no proclamations whatsoever about Simpson being his quarterback of the future, which was the expectation given how high a contending team with other obvious needs just selected him.

“I don’t get it at all,” one general manager told SportsBoom. 

“Doesn’t add up... They couldn’t move down three or five (spots) or whatever and take him there? And at least pick up some extra picks? Totally shocked.”

The Rams had been heavily linked to receiver Makai Lemon (USC), who looked like a prototypical fit in McVay’s system. Their nemesis (outside division  rivals in the NFC West), the Eagles, who beat them in bizarre fashion last year and knocked them out of the playoffs the year before that, moved up to grab Lemon with the 20th pick.

“I don’t know what went on there, but Sean looked pissed,” said the first executive who watched the team’s interactions with the press. 

More will surely emerge about the controversial selection, and the vest with which this coaching staff attempts to get Simpson on the field will be telling.