Coaches Sound Off on Ty Simpson Being Picked by Rams in 1st Round of 2026 NFL Draft

Some coaches around the SEC were befuddled to see the Los Angeles Rams take Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson with the No. 13 overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft.

One defensive coordinator told ESPN's Adam Rittenberg they were "surprised" by his position in the draft and where he landed.

"For him to go that high, I was a little bit like, 'Wow, OK,'" a different defensive coordinator said. "I don't know how he practices, I don't know his mind. They were saying he was banged up in the back stretch, but he was just OK. Maybe he has those qualities that you can't coach that some of these [NFL teams] fell in love with."

A third coordinator flatly said that Simpson is "not ready to go be a starter in the NFL right now."

One SEC coach at least sees the bigger vision.

"It's a great fit for him from a system standpoint, and who he's going to be behind for a year," they said. "There's a lot of similarities [with Matthew Stafford]. [The pick] was the biggest [surprise], a guy who didn't have a ton of starts, but when he played, he played well. His long game is going to be really good."

It's not uncommon for quarterbacks to go in the first round on the basis of just one season as a starter in college.

Simpson didn't necessarily excel while leading the Crimson Tide offense, though. He threw for 3,567 yards, 28 touchdowns and five interceptions in 15 appearances.

Coming into the draft, the second-team All-SEC honoree was 44th on Bleacher Report's final big board, with B/R scout Dame Parson comparing him to a more athletic version of Kirk Cousins.

Ty Simpson highlights

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In general, it's tough to pinpoint one standout trait in Simpson's game, which is why the overwhelming sentiment pegged him as a fringe first-rounder or early Day 2 pick.

Being coached by Sean McVay might bring out the best in Simpson, and backing up Stafford will mean he shouldn't be thrust into the starting job before he's ready.

However, one consequence of reaching for the former Alabama star is that there's going to be more pressure on him to eventually deliver.