How Rams Drafting Ty Simpson Led to Myles Garrett Trade

The Rams drafting Ty Simpson in the first round helped set the stage for Los Angeles to trade future draft picks and land superstar edge rusher Myles Garrett.

Jun 2, 2026; Woodland Hills, CA, USA; Los Angeles Rams quarterback Ty Simpson (15) throws the ball during organized team activities at Rams Practice Facility. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

When the Los Angeles Rams drafted Ty Simpson with the 13th overall pick in April’s draft, it was arguably the most surprising selection of the entire first round. The pick got overanalyzed and criticized as many wondered how the Rams couldn’t invest in the now and add a player who could help Matthew Stafford. 

However, the idea that the Rams didn’t invest in their MVP quarterback missed several key points. A player at 13 was never going to help this Rams roster. The Rams have one of the most complete rosters in the NFL. 

An offensive lineman certainly would have added key depth, but would have only seen the field with an injury to a starter. Any wide receiver would have slotted third behind Puka Nacua and Davante Adams as the Rams are also moving to more 12 and 13 personnel. The third wide receiver could have less value in the offense going forward. Had the Rams taken a defensive player or edge rusher, that player likely would have slotted behind an already deep group. 

While many criticized that the Rams took Simpson too high, it was also one of the few picks that actually made sense for this version of the Rams roster. Taking Simpson also provided the Rams flexibility to trade their 2027 first-round pick for a proven player if needed. 

If the Rams were as good as they planned to be in 2026, they likely would have been selecting at the end of the first round in 2027 anyway. It’s certainly possible that one of the top quarterbacks fell, but with the number of quarterback-needy teams, the Rams would need to draft inside the top 15 or top 20 at minimum. It was always going to be very difficult to get there if the Rams were drafting between 28 and 32 at the end of the first round. 

Going back to the 2025 NFL Draft, everything that the Rams have done has connected to the moves that followed. The Rams acquired an extra first-round pick in 2026 by trading back with the Atlanta Falcons so that they could take edge rusher James Pearce Jr. 

That extra first-round pick allowed the Rams to trade their own pick at 29th overall for cornerback Trent McDuffie. By using the Falcons’ pick at 13 to take Simpson, the Rams gained the flexibility to use their first-round pick in 2027 on a proven player instead of holding out for a quarterback that may or may not have been there. 

With the Rams taking Simpson and leaving their 2027 and 2028 picks available, it gave them the flexibility to take a massive swing on Myles Garrett. 

“The Rams started discussing how taking Simpson that high in the first round might affect their pursuit of Garrett or another big fish. And in what might have seemed counterintuitive to some at the time, they agreed that it’d actually help them justify taking such a massive swing,” detailed Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer. “By using that capital on Simpson, they’d be freed up to spend picks from the 2027, ’28 and ’29 drafts to land the Browns’ superstar, not having to worry about needing that capital to find Stafford’s eventual successor.”

The Rams did exactly what they said they were going to do. They took a quarterback that they were confident in now so they didn’t have to worry about it in 2027. That provided the flexibility to use that pick for a proven player that would help now in a Super Bowl window. 

After allegedly not doing enough to help Matthew Stafford, the Rams have traded for McDuffie as well as the best defensive player in the NFL in Garrett. Both of those players will help the Rams in 2026 much more than any rookie would have. 

Taking Simpson was never about solely looking at the future. Simpson was drafted to not only give the Rams an answer at the most important position going forward, but also give them the ability to push their chips in now. 

Instead of waiting until 2027 and forcing a quarterback, the Rams addressed that early, which allowed them to be aggressive in their current timeline. While the Simpson pick may not have made sense on its own on draft night, when viewed alongside everything that followed, it’s clear it was the move that made everything else possible.

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