The Los Angeles Rams used the 13th overall selection to add former Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson, passing on other options aimed at immediate Week 1 availability. The piece argues the move may be a gamble now that the roster isn’t deep enough—yet also frames
The Rams didn’t draft Ty Simpson with the expectation that he’d be taking the field in Week 1.
They used the 13th overall selection to bring in the former Alabama quarterback anyway. The choice was, by design, a vote for fit and vision—not immediate visibility. And if the roster isn’t deep enough to afford waiting on a rookie, that decision could be painful later.
That’s the tension running through this pick: Simpson arrives with a clear chance to become a quality backup as a rookie. and with a clearer rationale behind it—Sean McVay and Les Snead have already been Super Bowl winners. and the organization’s history suggests they believe they can make these ideas work. But the question remains whether the Rams can truly spare the time if they need more than a developmental quarterback.
Simpson’s case is built on how well he matches what the Rams want from the quarterback position inside McVay’s world. The argument here is straightforward: if you could design a quarterback specifically for the Rams’ offense and the organization’s identity. you’d land on someone like Simpson—positive. team-oriented. passionate. a hard worker. coachable. and focused on controlling what he can.
Those aren’t vague compliments in this telling. Simpson is the son of a coach. which is offered as the reason his work ethic is “unquestionable.” His study habits are described as sound. and his willingness to wait is emphasized by what he did at Alabama. Rather than transferring out, Simpson waited his turn behind Bryce Young and Jalen Milroe.
There’s also the matter of what he had to overcome. The piece points to Simpson’s time with Alabama as a season-long study in limitations: he “covered up a lot of issues” with the Alabama offense. and it’s stated that the offensive line did not perform and star receiver Ryan Williams did not perform. In other words. Simpson wasn’t just dealing with a normal adjustment—he was asked to operate while other pieces struggled.
Still, he carried the Crimson Tide into the College Football Playoff. The recap centers on a specific moment: Alabama defeating a talented Oklahoma squad led by their defensive ideology during a very cold winter night in Norman. Simpson is described as “built for the moment. ” and that’s where the optimism starts to sound less like theory and more like a bet on temperament.
The concern, though, is the calendar and the stakes. With an aging Stafford—who dealt with back issues last season—the Rams “can ill-afford to waste a year with this level of talent” if Stafford were to go down. That’s why the selection is framed as more than a luxury: perhaps it’s insurance.
The pitch is that McVay could scheme Simpson “up just enough. ” just enough for the Rams’ loaded defense to do what it needs to do. If Simpson’s role becomes protecting the football as a backup, the fit is presented as almost automatic. He’s characterized as smart. as someone who will protect the ball. and as a quarterback whose “floor is high” once he learns the playbook and gets comfortable with the rhythm of the offense.
The piece also draws a line between what the Rams could have done and what they chose. The author argues that Simpson’s expectations far exceed what Jimmy Garoppolo or another veteran backup could have brought.
And there’s a final. sharper framing that lands like a closing argument: this is the kind of pick that “legacies live and die on.” McVay and Snead took their shot. and the choice is compared to the Rams going “all in for 2021.” The author even points to a reinterpreted motto—“F them picks”—as if the team’s willingness to trade future flexibility for a specific quarterback identity now has a new meaning.
In the end. Ty Simpson is presented as exactly what the Rams are trying to build: a coachable quarterback who waits. studies. protects the ball. and fits the culture. The risk is that waiting is expensive. Whether this one becomes a master plan or a regret may depend on how quickly the Rams need more than a high-upside backup—and how much depth they truly have when the season gets real.
Ty Simpson Los Angeles Rams Sean McVay Les Snead Alabama quarterback Bryce Young Jalen Milroe Jimmy Garoppolo Matthew Stafford back issues College Football Playoff Oklahoma Norman