Rams Select Alabama's Ty Simpson at No. 13, See Him as Future Successor to Matthew Stafford

LOS ANGELES -- In June, Los Angeles Rams general manager Les Snead was at the Manning Passing Academy in Thibodaux, Louisiana, doing his "due diligence on quarterbacks." While there -- and over the course of the next year -- the scouting staff identified Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson as "somebody who would work well with [head coach] Sean [McVay] and fit what we're looking for at that position," director of scouting Nicole Blake said.

In Simpson, the Rams noticed "his intelligence" and watched him play in the pro-style system that Alabama uses. "He makes a lot of pro-style throws and it was very easy to see the translation," Blake said.

Although Simpson made only 15 college starts after sitting behind Bryce Young and Jalen Milroe, the Rams thought he was the right player to draft as the likely successor to Matthew Stafford. Los Angeles selected Simpson with the No. 13 pick in last weekend's NFL draft.

Those 15 career starts are the fourth fewest by any first-round quarterback over the past 25 years, according to ESPN Research. Only Anthony Richardson Sr. (13), Mitchell Trubisky (13) and Dwayne Haskins (14) had fewer.

Rams assistant general manager John McKay said the lack of games played wasn't something the staff was "overly concerned about."

"He had spent the time at Alabama learning," McKay said. "He was in a high-level program and then we were able to evaluate all the types of throws. He was in a lot of big moments so we felt like there was enough in that sample size where we didn't have any pause about the starts.

"... We felt confident based on what he had put on tape that he was the right guy."

Snead said though Simpson didn't start his first three seasons, the quarterback "played mature."

"I think that is the benefit of going places, persevering and not just transferring trying to play," Snead said. "There is an element of sitting, learning, developing and getting better."

Added McVay: "His ability to stay the course and go through some different challenging adversities, I think that shaped him."

Simpson said he told teams during the predraft process that the years he sat at Alabama "were just as -- probably more -- important than the years that I played."

"I had to learn how to practice," Simpson said. "I had to learn how to study when I wasn't playing because I didn't know when that time was going to come. Whenever that time did come, it was this year and I made the most of it."

That tape -- and the subsequent meetings with the Rams -- showed the team specifically two things: Simpson's intelligence and his perseverance.

His first start came in Alabama's opener last season against Florida State, a game the Crimson Tide lost. Simpson completed 23 of 43 passes for 254 yards and two touchdowns.

"I grew up in Alabama," Snead said. "The sky was falling in the state of Alabama [because they lost], but to see probably from that point forward how they progressed as a team and him as a quarterback into the playoffs [stood out]."

After that loss, Simpson and Alabama won eight games in a row and finished with an 11-4 record that ended with a loss to Indiana in a College Football Playoff quarterfinal.

McKay pointed to a specific November game as one of his favorites watching Simpson, calling the quarterback's performance "tough and gutsy."

"The one game that I always go back to is you watch him play against Auburn this year where things were really messy," McKay said. "He was under a lot of pressure up front and things were really just moving fast. It's not his best statistical game. It's not a game where it stands out, but you see some of the clutch moments. Him being able to rise up and make plays to get them a big win.

"That was a game that really stood out. It's not the game that everybody talks about. I think he only threw for like 130 yards. When you watch that game and really evaluate the tape, you're like, 'Holy cow, that's incredible that you got them across the line.'"

It was also on the tape that the Rams saw how Simpson was able to "process, be able to read one, two or three hitting backside throws," McKay said, all "things that we have a big appreciation for in our offense."

"You have to be smart to play here," Blake said. "You can tell just watching the film that he knows how to play the position. He's a super-smart quarterback. He obviously grew up with a dad as a coach so he's lived and breathed it for his entire life."

Simpson's dad, Jason, has coached at UT Martin since 2006.

The Rams also expect Simpson to -- or at least hope he will -- get at least a year of practice reps before he plays in a meaningful NFL game.

Although the Rams have a belief in Simpson, McVay made it clear that whenever the time comes, it will be on Stafford's terms. Stafford, entering his 18th NFL season at age 38, was named the NFL's MVP last season after leading the league in passing yards (4,707) and passing touchdowns (46).

But the Rams drafting Simpson had less to do with timing and rather how much they liked the prospect. After all, though McVay has said Stafford has earned the right to decide how long he wants to play on a year-to-year basis, he also said at the league meetings in March that he wouldn't be surprised to see Stafford play more than just the 2026 season.

"Particularly for Sean and the way that we like to play, you can't just plug and play any quarterback in there," Blake said. "When you find somebody that you think fits that system and has the buy-in from everybody in the building that we found, I don't think it really matters when you take them, you just take them.

"Maybe it's two years, three years, four years, who knows. It's a hard thing to find so when you find that, you take it."