The Rams’ decision to draft Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson with the No. 13 pick in the first round was one of the biggest surprises of the 2026 NFL draft, at least to those not in the room.
Simpson said at the draft that he hadn’t spoken to the Rams other than a brief conversation at his Pro Day. During an interview with ESPN Radio’s Ian FitzSimmons on Monday, he changed his tune a bit, admitting that he and coach Sean McVay had met privately during the pre-draft process.
“We tried to keep this under wraps as long as we could,” said Simpson. “It was something to where I knew they were interested, but they wanted to make it private and didn’t want people to know that they were interested. So, I had some secret meetings with Coach McVay, and I just was trying to be on script and didn’t want people to know that they were interested.”
Simpson said that in those meetings that he and McVay talked mostly about football and that he was instructed not to say anything in order to keep the intel from leaking.
It seems they managed to keep the lid on things pretty tightly. Although Simpson had been linked to the Rams in the pre-draft process, there was little to no expectation they’d go ahead and select him at No. 13.
McVay didn’t appear overly thrilled about the selection, with many assuming the Rams’ coach was more keen on selecting a player who would enhance the team’s chances of winning a Super Bowl in the short term. McVay wasn’t overly enthusiastic in the press conference while seated next to GM Les Snead after the first round. He went somewhat viral for his responses to questions from reporters in regards to drafting Simpson.
Coming off another playoff appearance and with reigning league MVP Matthew Stafford already locked in under center, McVay made clear at the draft that the Rams are still Stafford’s team––and they will be until he retires. Simpson has a role to play, but he likely won’t be called upon to take over the offense until a few years down the line.
Simpson only made 15 starts in his college career, so he was widely viewed as a developmental piece leading into the draft. Of course, McVay is renowned for his work with quarterbacks, so Simpson will be his newest project to attempt to develop so he’s ready to take the keys to the offense when Stafford calls it a career.
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KARL RASMUSSEN
Karl Rasmussen is a staff writer for Sports Illustrated. A University of Oregon alum who joined SI in February 2023, his work has appeared on 12up and ClutchPoints. Rasmussen is a loyal Tottenham, Jets, Yankees and Ducks fan.
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