The Los Angeles Rams shocked the entire NFL world when they took Ty Simpson 13th overall in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft. In his post-draft press conference, Simpson called the Rams the perfect situation.
Ty Simpson Calls Rams Perfect Situation
The LA Rams turned the NFL world upside down after deciding to take Ty Simpson with the 13th overall pick. Coming into the draft, Simpson was viewed as the second-best quarterback behind Fernando Mendoza, but because the quarterbacks in the 2026 NFL Draft weren’t considered a strong group, it wasn’t a guarantee that Simpson would be drafted in the first round.
However, with an eye on the future post Matthew Stafford, the Rams decided to swing for the fences with Simpson. In his press conference at the Rams facility, Simpson talked about how much of a perfect fit being drafted by the Rams was.
“This was a dream come true being a first-round pick,” Simpson said to the LA media. “Being at a great organization like the LA Rams with the best head coach in the league and the best quarterback in the league, it’s the perfect situation. God has blessed me in so many ways, and I’m just so happy to be here in Los Angeles.”
Simpson Eager to Learn from 2025 NFL MVP
At Alabama, Simpson led the team to the college football playoffs last season despite dealing with a plethora of injuries. Simpson also has a storied background, as his father, Jason Simpson, is the head coach of the University of Tennessee Martin football team. Simpson knows that it’s still Stafford’s team, and instead of trying to come in and make an immediate impact, he’s trying to make sure he learns as much as he can every day.
“I’m just so excited,” Simpson said. “My plan is just to get better each day. I’m blessed to be in a great quarterback room with a first-ballot Hall of Famer, along with the best head coach in the NFL. I just want to soak up all of that knowledge from those guys, and hopefully I have a long career like Matthew (Stafford).”
Simpson has seemed to be really bought in on learning from Stafford as much as he can in his first season. Simpson made sure to acknowledge that Stafford is an MVP quarterback and that he knows how valuable the opportunity will be for him to learn as much as he can from Stafford.
“Matthew Stafford throws the ball with conviction, he doesn’t care about what’s going to happen,” Simpson said. “He doesn’t care about what happened the drive before; he’s going to come back and try again. He is an assassin, and being a quarterback, that’s the type of mentality you need to have, and being able to learn from him daily, I can’t wait to be able to soak that up.”
Simpson Could See Playing Time in 2026
With the way the Rams roster is set up, it is more than a decent chance that Simpson doesn’t play for a couple of seasons if Stafford continues to play at a high level. However, Stafford does have a long history of injuries that have kept him out multiple games in a season. With that said, Simpson will have to make sure he is ready at all times, because his number could be called if Stafford goes down.
Main Image: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images
