New NFL Rumors on Sean McVay's Reactions to Rams' Ty Simpson Draft Pick in Trending Videos

Many NFL coaches project excitement after their teams make first-round picks, especially if those picks are quarterbacks.

Yet that wasn't necessarily the case for Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay after the NFC West club took Ty Simpson at No. 13 overall on Thursday with ESPN's Jeremy Fowler noting he "appeared subdued, almost frustrated" and did not appear to have "the customary excitement for one of the biggest nights on the NFL calendar."

Yet that was reportedly for a reason.

Fowler noted some around the team felt "McVay might have felt the need to downplay the pick in order to accentuate his confidence in [Matthew] Stafford." One source said the coach was "absolutely" on board for the Simpson pick, with another saying he and general manager Les Snead "in lockstep."

Keeping his opinion close to the vest also may have been a strategy, as one source told Fowler, "[The Rams brass] knew that if it got out that McVay stamped this guy, that could have created more interest ahead of them."

Some surely saw the Simpson pick as one of the biggest surprises in Thursday's opening round.

After all, he was seen by many as a borderline first-rounder with B/R's NFL Scouting Department projecting him as the No. 34 overall pick—the second in the second round—in its final mock draft.

While Simpson led the Crimson Tide to the SEC championship game and College Football Playoff, he was also just a one-year starter with some overall question marks.

Yet the Rams reportedly had no qualms about picking him so early.

A source told Fowler, "There wasn't much debate—if Simpson was there, they were taking him." That source also said the Rams viewed Simpson similarly to Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza, who went No. 1 overall to the Las Vegas Raiders.

Still, it was a somewhat surprising pick considering the Rams were just one win away from reaching the Super Bowl last season and have the league MVP in Stafford under center. While Stafford is 38 years old and isn't the long-term answer for the next decade, Los Angeles still could have used that pick to land a player who would have helped it win in the immediate future.

The window is open right now, and the front office could have maximized the chances at a Lombardi Trophy next season with a different selection while focusing on finding a replacement for Stafford when the veteran does decide to retire down the line.

However, the Rams surely saw something they liked in Simpson, and he will now have the opportunity to work with one of the most-respected coaches in the league in McVay while learning how to adjust to the next level.