The biggest surprise of the 2026 NFL Draft came from the Los Angeles Rams, a win-now team that opted to draft its quarterback of the future.
With the 13th overall pick and plenty of talent still on the board, the Rams selected Alabama passer Ty Simpson as the heir apparent to Matthew Stafford. It was quickly reported that head coach Sean McVay had spoken to Stafford earlier in the day to notify him about the decision to draft a quarterback.
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Stafford’s reaction to the pick will be interesting. But what really stood out Thursday night was McVay’s reaction.
Speaking with reporters alongside Rams general manager Les Snead after the pick, multiple members of the media noticed McVay, well known for his animated personality, seemed subdued while talking about the pick.
You can judge for yourself:
When asked about speaking with Stafford, McVay confirmed he did and said “I’ll keep that between us” to the natural follow-up question of what was discussed. When asked if Simpson would back up Stafford, McVay bluntly said “We’ll see, he’s going to compete with [incumbent back-up Stetson Bennett].
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Snead, who reportedly has a strong relationship with Simpson’s father and advised him about entering the draft, was noticeably more energetic. Simpson also said on Sirius XM that he had never met McVay.
At one point, Snead and McVay were asked if they had specifically targeted Simpson in the draft and McVay reeled off an answer that lasted for well longer than a minute. An excerpt:
“There was a lot of players that we liked. When you do look at it, I think the thing you liked about the body of work is — let’s make one thing clear, this is Matthew’s team. You get a chance to be able to address the back-up quarterback, we’ve got Stetson, we’ve talked about the importance of [former Rams back-up Jimmy Garropolo], so to be able to add somebody that you can evaluate a body of work that he was asked to play the position and a lot of things that do translate: concepts, reading with his feet, some of the different things in the dropback and the play action game, the movement game.
“So there’s a lot of things that [Alabama offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb] did that’s very similar to how we operate. So it made it an easier evaluation to be able to say, ‘Alright, what would that look like if he did translate it to our level?’ But there was a lot of players that we liked and there was a lot of thought that went into it.”
There are several possible outcomes from here. Stafford could keep playing for years and keep the Rams regularly competitive. Simpson could take over quickly and become a star. Simpson could take over quickly and become a bust.
Yahoo Sports’ Charles McDonald is not one of the optimistic voices, giving the selection an “F.” Simpson posted a good season with Alabama last year, but also faded down the stretch and doesn’t quite have the physical traits in you see in top quarterback prospects.
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Whatever happens, Thursday night represented a shift for the Rams, and McVay’s reaction could end up being dissected repeatedly if it doesn’t work out.
