NFL Execs Sound Off on Ty Simpson to Rams After 2026 NFL Draft Round 1 Stunner

The Los Angeles Rams made one of the most noteworthy picks of the first round during Thursday's NFL draft when they selected quarterback Ty Simpson at No. 13 overall even though Matthew Stafford is still their leader, which drew plenty of reaction from around the league.

"If you need a QB, he's a first-rounder," a team executive said, per Jeff Howe of The Athletic. "But he's more of a third- or maybe second-round talent. You're betting more on what's to come than the track record, but he's definitely talented enough to be a starter."

Simpson was just a one-year starter at Alabama, although he was there for a number of years as a member of the 2022 recruiting class who backed up Bryce Young and Jalen Milroe at times.

Backing up Stafford and waiting his turn will be a familiar position for the newest member of the Rams, and it is hard to pick better people to learn from than the veteran quarterback and head coach Sean McVay.

"He operates and plays the way [McVay] likes to play," a coach said, per Howe, while another executive said, "Sean will get the most out of him."

A lack of starting experience is a valid concern, but Simpson did thrive when he got the job at Alabama. He led the Crimson Tide to the SEC championship game and College Football Playoff while completing 64.5 percent of his passes for 3,567 yards, 28 touchdowns and five interceptions.

B/R's NFL Scouting Department highlighted his ability to climb "vertically in the pocket to avoid the edge pressure and deliver catchable passes to all levels of the field" and compared him to "an athletic Kirk Cousins" in its scouting report.

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It also ranked him as the second-best quarterback behind Indiana's Fernando Mendoza in the entire draft, and those ended up being the only signal-callers taken during Thursday's first round.

Now Simpson enters the NFL without much pressure to immediately produce for a Super Bowl contender that has the reigning MVP under center.

And if he takes advantage of the opportunity to learn from Stafford and McVay, he will be all the more prepared when the time comes to step on the field.