General manager Les Snead ended months of speculation about what the Los Angeles Rams would do in the first round of the 2026 draft, selecting Alabama’s Ty Simpson with the 13th overall pick.
The Rams officially have their quarterback of the future, or at least they hope, as he will get to sit and learn behind reigning MVP Matthew Stafford for at least one season.
That is exactly the kind of plan draft evaluators have called for.
Les Snead Follows Through on Pre-Draft Rams Chatter
GettyLos Angeles Rams general manager Les Snead recalls a story about the time the team shared a Seattle hotel with a furry convention..
Smoke around the Rams selecting Simpson was prevalent on draft day, despite ESPN’s Mike Greenberg calling it a “stunner” during the broadcast. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported on the Round 1 “wrinkle,” linking Snead to Simpson.
“When Ty Simpson was trying to decide whether or not he should come out of Alabama and enter the draft, his father consulted with, among other people, Les Snead, the GM of the Rams, who told him that Ty was, in fact, a first-rounder,” Rapoport said on “NFL Draft Kickoff” on April 23. Could the Rams, maybe in a trade-back situation, be looking at Simpson?”
Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer also connected Simpson to the Rams on draft day, too, calling it a “question… that lots of NFL folks continue to ask.”
“No one seems to have a firm handle on where the Alabama quarterback will land,” Breer wrote.
The teams that most NFL people have connected to Simpson are the Jets, Cardinals and Rams. … Would the Rams take him at 13? Or maneuver with their picks—because they don’t have another pick between 13 and 61—to get into a more appropriate spot to take him?”
Breer also pointed to Snead’s connection to Simpson’s father, and all of the pre-draft smoke proved telling.
Former Exec Called Rams’ Pick
GettyTy Simpson (R) of Alabama poses with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell (L) after being selected thirteenth overall pick by the Los Angeles Rams.
During the broadcast of the draft, former NFL player and executive Louis Riddick, now an analyst for ESPN, pointed to his previous comments linking Simpson to the Rams.
“I know people say the Rams aren’t going to take a quarterback high in the draft. They’re all in on Matthew Stafford,” Riddick told host Kay Adams on “Up & Adams” on April 16. “But look, this is the first team in my mind that jumps right out in front when I’m sitting there thinking, ‘Who’s the perfect fit for him?’
“When do you draft quarterbacks? You draft quarterbacks when you don’t need them.”
The Rams and Stafford are working on an extension for the three-time Pro Bowler, which is expected to focus more on length than dollar value. At any rate, the Rams have a plan in place at the game’s most important position that has proven successful elsewhere.
The Green Bay Packers are the poster organization for that process, first drafting Aaron Rodgers 24th overall in 2005 with Brett Favre in tow.
Rodgers did not start a regular-season game until the 2008 campaign.
The Packers repeated their efforts, selecting Jordan Love 26th overall in 2020. Love started one game as a rookie, but did not become their full-time starter until his third NFL season, when the Packers traded Rodgers to the Jets.
This is a bold move for the Rams in a Super Bowl window, and one that allows Simpson to sit and learn from one of the best in the game in Stafford
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Rams Select Ty Simpson 13th Pick of 2026 Draft: Les Snead Strikes Again