What Rams 'Loved' About Ty Simpson Revealed in New NFL Draft Rumors amid McVay-Snead Controversy

One of the reasons the Los Angeles Rams decided to pull the trigger on drafting Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson in the first round—making him the long-term successor to Matthew Stafford in the process—was seeing on film how he responded to adversity.

As Albert Breer of SI.com wrote, "maybe most of all, as I've heard it, they loved seeing how he got scraped up, and knocked down, and picked himself up. The Tide got beaten up in the season opener against Florida State, a loss that was taken as a referendum on everyone in the program, a year-and-a-half after Nick Saban's departure. But in that game, Simpson fought to his very last snap, a nine-yard run on 4th-and-10, on which he ran through three tackles. And he rebounded in the weeks to follow, putting on clinics against Wisconsin and Georgia."

They also liked that Simpson was able to handle a diverse offensive scheme and that they could "see him reading plays out with his feet, playing with rhythm, getting deep into progressions, anticipating windows coming open and unloading the ball on time."

Much has been said about head coach Sean McVay's initial reaction to the pick while speaking with reporters, and it would be hard to blame him for having some reservations about using such a valuable asset on a player who isn't going to start until Stafford retires or decides to depart, given that the Rams have legitimate Super Bowl aspirations.

But the Rams saw a quarterback who they believed could be the right long-term solution. On a long-term level, it's understandable enough why they would go that route.