Was Simpson pick the best decision for Rams?

Mon, Apr 27, 2026

Chris Simms and Mike Florio discuss the Rams selecting Ty Simpson in the first round and question how else Los Angeles could have improved the roster to maximize their Super Bowl window.

Video Transcript

Well, if it should fall apart for the Rams and Sean McVay in the next couple of years, playing the role of Keon Coleman at the press conference will be Ty Simpson.

So, uh- Okay, here's a little And, now they do have to be sensitive to Ty Simpson, and this may be one of the reasons why they dragged out a mop and a bucket on Friday.

'Cause you got this guy you just used the 13th overall pick in the draft on, and he's wondering, "What the hell?

I thought I was excited."

Right.

"You don't want The head coach doesn't Well, I mean, the head coach doesn't want me.

I told him, 'Let's go make history.'"

And he's like, "Uh, yeah, see you tomorrow at the office."

Here's Ty Simpson on proving that the Rams made the right call at number 13.

One, it starts with, you know, not really having expectations.

Like, you know, I learned that, you know, from Coach Saban about, you know, how if you have expectations, you're always, you know, really bound to fail.

You know, if I, you know, come in here and say, "Well, I wanna win Rookie of the Year," well, you know, Matthew Stafford just won the MVP.

Like, how You know, how that, that's gonna be a fail.

So, you know, my plan is to just, you know, get better each day.

You know, I'm, I'm blessed enough to be, you know, in the room with, you know, a great quarterback room, you know, great coaches, a, a reigning MVP, first-ballot Hall of Famer, the best head coach in football.

Like, you know, I just wanna soak up all that knowledge.

And, you know, today starts my NFL career, and tomorrow will be the second day.

I just wanna get better each and every day so eventually I have a long career like Matthew.

Well said.

He's got the right attitude.

Yeah.

He's saying all the right things.

Right.

Cliche machine, but you know what?

Cliches are cliches because they're true.

Yeah.

The quarterback room there is kind of interesting.

You got Stafford, you got Ty Simpson, you got Stetson Bennett.

Sean McVay said Friday that he hasn't completely closed the door on Jimmy Garoppolo.

When you look back and s- read some of the things that Sean McVay said prior to the draft, I think he really wanted Jimmy Garoppolo to come back.

Because if Garoppolo comes back, that makes the Ty Simpson pick less likely.

I don't know that it makes it impossible, but- Yeah I think his preference would've been Garoppolo again, a, a non-threatening veteran who's not much younger than Matthew Stafford.

They're roughly the same age, maybe four years apart.

Knows his place, isn't trying to stir things up, isn't getting overly excited when he makes a big throw in practice, isn't giving off any vibe.

You know, there's two types of backups: the backup who knows, "I'm here to help him," and the backup who thinks, "I'm here to take his job."

And they had the Jimmy Garoppolo, "I'm here to help Matthew Stafford."

How can you not look at a first round pick, 13th overall, one pick higher than they used to get Aaron Donald in 2014.

Aaron Donald was the 14th overall pick in the draft.

Yeah.

And Ty Simpson was 13th.

How can you not, just by nature of the circumstances, if you're Matthew Stafford, look at that and say, "This kid thinks he's gonna replace me at some point"?

And that just puts a little seed of doubt in Matthew Stafford's brain, and also a little bit of a stick- Yeah where sticks don't go.

Exactly.

And he's thinking, "Screw these people.

Screw these people.

I'm out of here.

Where am I gonna go next year?

Hey, Kelly, let's talk about where else we could play next year.

'Cause you know what?

They don't want me here.

They're acting like they don't want me here, so I'm gonna pack up my stuff and I'm gonna go."

Yeah, I mean, it, it could be that, or it, it could be just like, "Oh, they think they're gonna tell me when I'm walking out the door?

I'm gonna stay here as long as I want, and still play really good, and mess up their whole 13th pick of the draft.

And damn, he's never gonna play, 'cause we're in the Super Bowl window, and I'm still playing good, and I'm gonna keep playing."

I mean, I could see it going either way with that motivation right there.

So, yeah.

And then on top of that, like, when you're talking about here with Jimmy Garoppolo and everything, yeah, o- of course, like, we're not gonna be there right now at, you know, pick 13 threatening Matthew Stafford.

But yeah, as each passing year goes by, it's gonna be a little bit more of a thing.

And within that right now, as far as the team they are, I will be interested to see what they do here.

You know, Jimmy Garoppolo, yeah, backup, but proven commodity, played in big football games, like, perfect to be the backup for the Los Angeles Rams.

Right now, Rams, Super Bowl team.

Wait, Ty Simpson?

Okay, that's gonna be Inexperience for college football Ty Simpson, he's gonna be the guy?

Stetson Bennett?

Yeah, I mean, we know we saw him play week 17 and two years ago, and he did some good things, and of course played at, at Georgia in, in a lot of big football games.

But is he a proven commodity that you're gonna be like, wow, Matthew Stafford now, he's gonna be out for four weeks.

He's got a high ankle sprain.

Let's We're gonna be okay with Stetson Bennett or Ty Simpson?

You know, that, that's risky.

That is.

And, I'll be interested to see what they do here as far as are they cool with these three, or is there somebody that's out there that's a little bit more veteran experience that'll make them feel warm and cozy that they add to the dr- the quarterback room as well?

Well, that's the thing.

If Garoppolo has a change of heart because he's reportedly thinking about retiring, if he comes back, it'll be bye bye Stetson Bennett, and then Ty Simpson slips into the developmental role.

And I think at this point, Sean McVay would probably prefer that.

Then there is no sense that Ty Simpson's just champing at the bit waiting for the opportunity to, to take over, you know, to Brett Favre, Don Makowski.

One little bump or bruise that knocks Matthew Stafford out, Simpson comes in and lights it up, and the next thing you know, he's the guy.

I think the chances of that happening are ridiculously small- Hey, you know in, I mean- Yeah, yeah, last, last- this is Matthew Stafford's team.

Yeah.

I know.

Yeah, Simpson in LA is dangerous, you know?

That's what they say out there.

That's, that's what the cool kids are saying.

Simpson in LA is dangerous.

What could go wrong?

Well, I think with nickname White Bronco, we'll see how he does.

Maybe that's, maybe that'll have to stick at some point.

It is amazing.

That was a line that- Yeah one of the PFT writers texted when we were reacting to the Simpson selection.

I texted the group.

It's so good.

"Simpson and LA, what could go wrong?"

Exactly.

And, and, uh- I've seen it a few places on social media now.

I've never- It's funny.

Yeah.

It is funny.

I mean, it is, it is, it is, it is, like, the lowest of the low-hanging fruit.

Right.

I mean, you know, it's not- But sometimes that's the funniest.

You know.

Yeah.

all right, the rest of the draft class, they got five guys total.

Yeah, yeah, and when you look at that, one, two, three, six, and seven rounds, that would've been an opportunity to trade down and get some extra picks this year.

It They could As you said, they could've traded up.

Well, when they gave the 29th pick to the Chiefs for the Trent McDuffie deal, and I'm not saying they shouldn't have, but if they would've had 29, you could've packaged 29 and 13 and really made some noise- Yeah, exactly in this year's draft.

Yeah.

So that, that Falcons move last year was so good for the Rams, and the fact that the Falcons weren't good last year.

I mean, hell, for a while it looked like the Falcons would've been That could've been a top 10 pick.

Hey, if the Rams just would've beaten the Falcons on that Monday night game last year- Yeah maybe that pick would've been a spot or two higher, and they couldn't have justified taking Ty Simpson with it.

Yeah, no, you know, I mean, a- again, I know that, you know, the, the phrase is, "Well, it's house money," so let's To me, it's like, "It's house money, so let's pile on here."

You know?

That, that's to me what the approach would've been or should've been i- if, if I were, you know, the Los Angeles Rams.

But they, they're gonna look to the future.

They are.

But I, I will say that, and this too, that I think they're taking a tremendous risk at the wide receiver position the way it stands right now.

I do.

And again, Davante Adams, it's, it's not going upwards.

I mean, Davante Adams needs system and people to get him open right now.

A- and of course, he's older in age, and missed time last year.

So that to me is what's, you know, a little crazy too.

They didn't get into the q- the wide receiver conversation, and, of course, addressed tight end again, where we know them and their two and three tight end sets were a very popular thing for them last year.

Who did you have them taking in your mock draft?

I had them taking Makai Lemons.

I had them ta- I thought that they would go with the kid in the city that is pro ready, ready to contribute and help their team right now.

And my thinking was, yeah, now, okay, you got three really good proven receivers there.

He'll be able to hit the ground running, but if you do lose a Davante Adams or a Puka Nacua, who he knows plays really physical, you got a guy that's dependable and can play right now.

So that, that's where I really thought they were gonna go with that.

That, that to me made the most sense.

but you know, obviously they had other plans there.

And the Davante Adams stuff was real.

They were looking into trading for A.J.

Brown, which means they would've traded Davante Adams.

Sorry, Jim Everett, but that's what would've happened, and they ended up not pursuing A.J.

Brown, so that ended that.

But Davante Adams is still there, and he did miss time.

It's amazing to think, he led the league in touchdown receptions, and I think his last touchdown reception of the regular season was in late November.

That's how, how good he was, but that's when you've got Matthew Stafford, who knows that when you get into the red zone, just get it to the guy.

Yeah.

Just get it to the guy.

Right.

It Let's not overthink this, just get it to the guy, and it worked.

All right.

Chris Metzen mentioned it earlier.

We need to show this.

Just submitted without comment, the con- conversation- Yeah via phone after Ty Simpson was drafted by the Rams on Thursday night.

Ty.

He- what's up, Coach?

How you doing, buddy?

I'm great.

How are you?

Good, man.

Well, congratulations, man.

Excited to get to work with you.

It's gonna be a lot of fun, buddy.

Let's go make history, Coach.

Yeah.

No, and hey, enjoy this night, man.

You earned it.

Have fun.

Tell your family we're excited to meet 'em, and, can't wait to, to get going with you, buddy.

Yes, sir, Coach.

Appreciate you.

Okay.

All right.

Yeah.

All right.

Yeah.

And think about that, everybody knows that's being recorded for posterity.

Right.

And that's the best that- That's the best he could do the head coach can muster.

Yeah.

Now, it was a tad over the top.

About let's go make history?

And I'm not criticizing Ty Simpson.

Right.

I love Ty Simpson.

Yeah.

But, "Let's go make history," you gotta be a little more self-aware than that when you consider that you're being drafted by the team that has the reigning MVP.

Yeah.

And they're going- And it's gotta be unprecedented.

Yeah.

Right.

Yeah.

"Let's go make history."

no, you're gonna sit on the bench- for two years, maybe three, and there's an outside chance you're gonna sit on the bench for four.

That will be the history.

We used the 13th overall pick on a quarterback who never takes a snap.

That's the only hi- that We're far more likely to make that history than the kind of history you're referring to.

Yeah.

So that wasn't necessarily And he knew the Rams were on the radar screen.

Right.

We went back, Pete Thamelitis pointed this out.

When I interviewed him on Wednesday, he was talking about the teams, 'cause I said, "You know, are there three or four teams you're keeping an eye on?"

And he made comment of, "Well, you know, there may even be a team that never even talked to me."

And he made it clear after the draft that the Rams had never talked to him at all.

Yeah.

So you He, he, he, he had a chance.

He had a chance there to come up with a little bit of a better line, and I think that I think McVay was just reacting to a, "He said that?"

Yeah.

So.

Yeah.

but it's just another glimpse of the reality that this is going to be a factor that the Rams shouldn't have to deal with.

This is an unforced circumstance.

That's right.

And I think that, that's another reason why Sean McVay sat there with his-Hands crammed into his pockets on Thursday night Exactly right.

So he wouldn't strangle Les Snead, I guess.

Exactly right.

Yeah, I, I mean, listen, I, I like Ty Simpson too.

I want it to work for him, I really do.

You know, I know I had my questions about him, certainly, but I, I've seen talent, I do.

You know?

But, but yeah, there's, there's some risk with that, that first pick.

Now hey, now the good thing is, is that, yeah, hopefully he can continue to get bigger and stronger as a man, and, you know, take away at least that issue of us, like, worrying about him getting beat up and all that.

But you know, the other thing too, yeah, I, I, I think that he had a ch- he, he thought the Rams were laying in the weeds.

Again, it sounds like the, the relationship between Les Snead and his father and all that there, like A- and here's the other thing I'll just throw out.

ESPN, the day of the draft, right?

My dad, he came over to watch the draft a little bit that night when I was in the barn, and he was at the house like three hours before it started, and he was like, "Man, ESPN and everybody came on," and they were like, they knew Ty S- he was like, "Ty Simpson's going in the f- " they said he was going early.

They were like, they were adamant.

They knew.

Like, so, so either the agent or somebody Les Snead is telling somebody behind the scenes that that was gonna happen there.

and I think that's probably why Ty Simpson wasn't shocked he ended up going there.

Well, and to the extent the Rams were talking about it way too much, and maybe Sean McVay wishes they had talked about it even more so someone would've jumped them at number 12 to take Ty Simpson.

I think they knew they could let it be known- Yeah, yeah that Ty Simpson's their guy, 'cause they weren't worried about anybody taking him higher than number 13.

Agreed.

Because- Agreed the reaction was, "Why in the hell are you taking him at number 13?"

We talked on Friday about- Yeah the reality, they could've worked the board.

Trust your board.

We could go down from 13 to 17 to 18 to 20.

We could go as low as 20, because I think the first real risk of someone taking him, based upon the way the board was configured, was 21 with the Steelers.

And somebody could've always traded up, but you could go down to 20 from 13, or you could just trickle your way down.

You could go 13 to 15.

Yeah.

You could go 15 to 17.

Right.

One of the teams did that, I can't remember who.

But somebody just kept The Bills did it, and I feel like somebody else kind of trickled back and back and back too.

No, the 49ers, the 49ers traded back a few times too.

Yeah.

Right, yeah.

No, I, I agree with you.

So they could've done that if they wanted to.

I agree with you, and part of reading the board is, is, you know, and, and, and knowing the draft is reading the board, of course, as we've said.

And yeah, I mean, they could've done that.

And I don't know what Pittsburgh's thought w- was of Ty Simpson.

Maybe I'll hear that as the off-season continues.

But I d- like I told you on Friday and like I told you leading up to the draft, I don't think the Jets or the Cardinals were hot on Ty Simpson.

So it was literally like i- if Pittsburgh doesn't take him, he's gonna be there.

And that's, I think, another interesting conversation that we'll probably hear more and more about as, you know, things trickle out post-draft about teams' thoughts and where they had guys.