The Los Angeles Rams surprised the NFL during the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
With the No. 13 overall pick, they chose Ty Simpson, the quarterback from the Alabama Crimson Tide.
The surprise wasn’t so much that Simpson was chosen in the first round. He had played himself into that possibility.
The surprise was that the team who took him was the Rams.
Los Angeles is still quarterbacked by Matthew Stafford, and they’re one of the favorites to win the Super Bowl. How could they use a first-round pick on a developmental, backup quarterback?
Well, they clearly wanted to consider the future, too, and it’ll be years before they can be properly judged for that.
In the meantime, the Rams open the season in Week 1 in Australia against the San Francisco 49ers, and for now, Simpson is a long way from seeing the field.
Where Is Ty Simpson?
Simpson is currently in his rookie season with the Los Angeles Rams, but he’s buried on the QB depth chart.
The aforementioned Matthew Stafford is the starter and will play every meaningful snap for the Rams this season as long as he’s healthy.
The backup isn’t Simpson, though. It’s another former Georgia quarterback, Stetson Bennett IV.
Bennett has more experience at the NFL level and has learned from his time with the Rams, which makes him a more ready-made backup to put into a game in a pinch if Stafford were to get hurt.
Simpson is currently the QB3. It seems unlikely he would climb above that stature this season, because third quarterbacks get very few reps in practice. The Rams will have to be sure to give Simpson some positive development chances, whatever those may be.
Ty Simpson’s Rise to Rams
Simpson wasn’t expected to be in the first-round picture as he headed into the 2025 season at Alabama.
He had played in 16 total games prior to last season, but he had only attempted 50 total passes and not thrown either a touchdown or interception.
Then he came out and led the SEC in passing completions while having a 64.5% completion rate and throwing for 3,567 yards and 28 touchdowns. Simpson was only intercepted five times.
Simpson added two rushing touchdowns, but mobility isn’t a huge part of his game. He’s more of a classic pocket passer.
Not every draft analyst projected him as a first-round pick, and certainly not as high as No. 13 overall. Some had speculated that the Pittsburgh Steelers could pick Simpson in the 20s, but he never got there.
Someone important in the Rams building, be it head coach Sean McVay or GM Les Snead, apparently fell in love with Simpson during the evaluation process and couldn’t pass him up.
Whether or not it was a good move will take years to know. But it’s been quite the rise already for the former Alabama star.
Where Is Ty Simpson? Alabama 1st-Round QB Role in Rams Depth Chart