NFL Draft Surprises and Rams’ Bold Move

Thursday night’s NFL Draft was full of unexpected twists. For instance, the Titans might be considering Colonel Tate at the fourth pick, which is really surprising. Meanwhile, notable players like Caleb Downs, Reuben Bain, and Makai Lemon are, well, slipping a bit. But the biggest shock came when the Los Angeles Rams used their 13th overall pick to choose Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson as their future playmaker. We rated this pick a C+.

This isn’t about criticizing Simpson or suggesting the Rams couldn’t possibly land him. It had been rumored for some time that they might select Simpson at No. 29 before trading that pick for Trent McDuffie. The puzzling part of the choice is that picking a quarterback, particularly given the remote possibility of Matthew Stafford retiring, seems both overly clever and impractical, especially since the Rams are quite focused on winning now.

Things appeared to have escalated post-draft when Coach Sean McVay seemed visibly frustrated while listening to GM Les Snead talk about Simpson.

“We discussed the significance of Jimmy [Garoppolo]. Being able to add someone who understands what’s required at that position, along with adapting some concepts from dropbacks and play-action, is vital. We thought, ‘What if he translated that to our level?’. That could make evaluations simpler,” Snead remarked.

In fact, during McVay’s post-draft press conference, his comments registered as somewhat lukewarm about the pick. The way he spoke felt more akin to discussing a late-round selection rather than a 13th overall choice. This was particularly striking since there were still great players available, like Makai Lemon or Kenyon Saddiq, either of whom might have bolstered the Rams’ passing game, or even safety Dillon Thieneman, who could have enhanced the secondary.

It’s going to take at least a couple of years to figure out if selecting Simpson was a really savvy move. Yet, questions have popped up regarding the pick since Snead has some personal connections to the Simpson family.

One might naturally wonder if Snead was overly fixated on Simpson during this entire process. Ideally, a general manager and head coach should be on the same page, but that might not be happening here. Snead’s role involves looking out for the long-term health of the franchise, while McVay needs to maximize the potential of the players already on the roster. There seems to be some friction regarding how to handle their strategy—seeing the Falcons’ pick as a chance to pick a quarterback, rather than making a pick that’d help ensure the Rams don’t stumble in the playoffs.

This situation is intriguing because the Rams are often viewed as a model of strategic vision. Selecting Simpson could either turn out to be a moment of brilliance or a hasty attempt to grab second-round QB talent ahead of time, addressing a problem that, well, doesn’t exist just yet.

When Simpson eventually steps into the role of quarterback for the Rams, he will have played very little football since his high school days.

One thing is certain: If the Rams fall short of a Super Bowl appearance this season, many will be looking back to see who else could have been selected with that No. 13 pick—and it likely won’t be Ty Simpson.