Monday Morning Rambling: Rams Drafting Ty Simpson Was the Win-Now Move

When the Los Angeles Rams selected quarterback Ty Simpson with the 13th overall pick, the loud, metaphorical boos could be heard on Twitter. In a ‘win now’ season, the Rams shocked the draft world and took their future starting quarterback instead of a player who could help them immediately.

The conspiracy theories started flowing. Following the press conference that showed McVay in an unhappy light, it became about how the head coach and general manager weren’t on the same page. There were reports that Les Snead had advised Ty Simpson’s dad before the draft. This was Snead doing a friend a favor and going rogue on his head coach. However, that wasn’t the case at all.

Entering the draft, the Rams didn’t have any glaring needs on the roster. It’s a testament to how well Les Snead has done in previous drafts and in free agency. They addressed their immediate need at cornerback earlier in the offseason by trading for cornerback Trent McDuffie and signing Jaylen Watson.

With McDuffie being seen as the team’s premier draft pick and no glaring needs on the roster, the Rams were in a position that every team strives to be in. They had the luxury of taking their best player available, regardless of position.

The Rams Didn’t Need Immediate Help

An argument can be made that the Rams should have taken Rueben Bain Jr. or Makai Lemon. Most would have been fine with Kenyon Sadiq or Olaivavega Ioane. However, given the strength of the roster, the premise of those picks would have been the same as Simpson. With Bain or Lemon, they would have entered as the EDGE or WR3. Sure, they would have contributed in a rotational role, but they aren’t the missing pieces that are going to get the Rams over the hump. Sadiq would have been the TE4 at best while Ioane would have been a backup guard behind Steve Avila.

No matter who the Rams drafted with the 13th overall pick, that player was going to be in a depth role. In a sense, taking Simpson was the best ‘win now’ move.

Why Simpson Fits the Rams and Their Timeline

It’s been no secret that the 2026 quarterback class was undervalued and seen as not being very good. It was Fernando Mendoza at the top, a gap between him and Simpson, and then everybody else. However, the Rams are a team that zigs while everybody else zags.

Simpson fits the McVay scheme. It’s very possible that McVay and the Rams see Kirk Cousins’ pocket movement and processing with a mix of Baker Mayfield’s athleticism. A McVay quarterback needs to be able to process pre- and post-snap. Simpson’s processing ability was right up there with Mendoza’s. He may not have the physical attributes or athleticism of Mendoza, but mentally, he was just right here. That last part is critical in a McVay offense. In most draft classes, the second-best quarterback will go inside the top five. The Rams had a chance to take that player at 13.

Coming into the draft, the Rams were never going to be ‘all in’ with the 13th pick. The draft and the concept of ‘all in’ can’t co-exist. The next time that the Rams will be all in will be at the trade deadline. Taking Simpson gives them the flexibility to do that.

By taking Simpson at 13 overall, there is no longer any pressure to take a quarterback in the 2027 draft. It’s unlikely that the Rams would have been in position to take a quarterback in 2027 anyway. Out of the top four quarterbacks, it’s unlikely that one of them falls outside of the top 15 and even less likely that a team would have traded back with the Rams who are projected to draft at the very end of the first round.

The Rams now have their quarterback of the future while other teams covet first-round picks in 2027. Again, heading into the draft, the Rams don’t have any glaring needs. Whether it’s due to injury or an unexpected upgrade needed, the Rams will have a better picture of what their actual needs are at the trade deadline. With no pressure to save their first-round pick for a quarterback, the Rams will be able to use their 2027 first-round pick as trade capital to acquire a proven player who can help the team’s Super Bowl aspirations.

Simpson doesn’t provide the instant gratification that society craves in today’s world. With that said, it was the win-now move that the Rams needed. Drafting Simpson provided flexibility with the team’s 2027 first-round pick which was the all-in move that the Rams needed.

“It’s Not the Player, it’s Where He Was Taken”

Much of the discussion after the Rams drafted Simpson was about how the issue wasn’t necessarily the player, but where he was taken. Here’s the harsh reality. While the media and fans are looking at the overall consensus board, that board also lacks significant context. It’s built for a theoretical team with theoretical needs that don’t exist. It allows the media to put together a board based simply on talent.

However, it’s unfair to judge a team’s draft class and to call a player a reach based on that board. There are obvious exceptions such as taking a clear third-round player in the first round. For the most part, without understanding the plan of the front office for the player and how they fit in the scheme, it’s impossible to suggest if a pick is good or bad. Taking a player based solely on talent like the consensus board does is how you get busts as teams try to fit a talented square player into a figurative round schematic hole.

Teams build their draft board based on grades and place them into buckets based on how that player will contribute within their system. The media consensus board lacks that context. It’s also why one team’s board might look significantly differently than another team’s. Without understanding the ‘why’, it’s very difficult to judge whether or not a player was a reach.

It’s a big reason why instead of building a draft board based on my personal top-300 players, my board is a “Rams fits” board. My evaluation process weighs traits that the Rams have historically valued and gives them higher priority. Out of the Rams’ five picks this year, three of them ended up with a ‘fit grade’ over 8.0 and inside my top-70.

What’s also forgotten is that teams get one shot at the draft. There’s no re-do and restart button if a player who they really liked gets taken. Trading back is good in theory, but sometimes it doesn’t outweigh the risk of losing the player.

When it comes to Simpson, if he works out, taking him at 13 looks like a steal. Nobody will be talking about how the Rams might have been able to take him five picks later.

The Experience Question

One of the big narratives around Simpson is his lack of experience. Simpson had just 15 starts at Alabama. Anthony Richardson, Mitchell Trubisky, and Dwayne Haskins are the other quarterbacks drafted in the first round despite limited experience and the hit rate isn’t great.

The question becomes whether their failures were due to a lack of experience or the the situations they were placed into. Situation matters for a quarterback more than any other position. Players like Richardson and Trubisky were expected to start their rookie seasons immediately. That won’t be the case for Simpson. Was the causation the lack of experience or those quarterbacks being placed inside of a burning house and expected to put out the fire?

Most rookie quarterbacks in today’s landscape don’t get the benefit of sitting behind a veteran quarterback. Simpson will get to sit and learn behind Stafford. That doesn’t mean that the lack of experience isn’t a red flag, but the historical context and how Simpson is different certainly matters.

A Quiet Quarterback Transition

Taking Ty Simpson doesn’t accelerate Matthew Stafford’s timeline. A big reason why McVay wasn’t outwardly giddy during his press conference following the first round was him taking Stafford’s feelings into account.

Stafford is coming off of an MVP season. The Rams aren’t going to unnecessarily create a quarterback controversy. It’s very possible that McVay underplays Simpson’s ability throughout training camp. He likely ends up as the QB3 behind Stetson Bennett on the preseason depth chart. The Rams aren’t going to kick Stafford out the door.

The Rams are going to do their best to not create any unnecessary drama or add any pressure on Stafford to perform well. They aren’t going to create a situation where Stafford is consistently having to look over his shoulder.

There’s no definitive timeline here, but it does signal that the Rams at least believe that the end is near. That doesn’t mean that Stafford will retire after this year or even after 2027. However, it would be a fair assumption to believe he will be done within the next four or five years.

Between now and then, Simpson will be able to learn from Matthew Stafford’s process. It won’t be up to Stafford to mentor and coach Simpson, but his presence will be valuable.

One Thing I Loved and One I Didn’t

It may be unpopular, but I actually liked what the Rams did overall in this draft. They didn’t force anything. The Max Klare selection signals that the Rams are going to lean more into 12 and 13 personnel. Out of all the selection, the CJ Daniels pick is probably my favorite. He has a chance to compete with Konata Mumpfield immediately.

There are two main criticisms that I have of the Rams’ draft and it wasn’t with the players they took. The Rams entered the offseason needing to put a focus on special teams. It was surprising that they didn’t take a player with a strong special teams background. Taking a linebacker also would have made sense. The class thinned out on Day 3, but it was a position that the Rams completely ignored outside of one undrafted free agent.

Final Thoughts

At the end of the day, we won’t know whether or not the Simpson pick was the right move until he takes the field. That may not be for three or four years, but at this point, it’s impossible to grade the Rams’ draft. If Simpson works out, this will end up being a great draft class.

The Rams didn’t hurt their Super Bowl chances by how they approached the draft. It will take time to know whether or not the approach was the right one, but this front office has earned the benefit. If this is a team that ends up short of the Super Bowl and Simpson doesn’t work out, they will have serious questions to answer.

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