The Rams picking quarterback Ty Simpson with the 13th overall pick in the draft came as a surprise to everyone, including Simpson, who didn’t hear from Rams coach Sean McVay or General Manager Les Snead at any point in the pre-draft process.
Simpson said that other than meeting some Rams scouts who came to Alabama’s Pro Day, he was in the dark about the Rams’ interest.
“It was really brief,” Simpson said of his interactions with the Rams. “I met with some scouts at Bama and that was really it. They talked to my agent but it was really not much.”
Simpson didn’t visit the Rams and said playing in the Rose Bowl is the only time he’s been to Los Angeles. Simpson’s father is the head football coach at UT-Martin and has been in touch with Snead, but Simpson said he personally hasn’t met Snead or McVay.
“This was my first time talking to Les, tonight,” Simpson said. “This was my first contact.”
At the Rams’ press conference after picking Simpson, McVay looked rather unenthused, leading to speculation that McVay wanted Snead to pick a player who could help Stafford win another Super Bowl, not Stafford’s heir apparent. McVay also said only that Simpson would get a chance to compete with Stetson Bennett for the backup job.
But while it’s fair to question whether McVay and Stafford are happy to have Simpson, Simpson says he’s very happy to work with them.
“I haven’t talked to Matthew yet but I’m super pumped to be in the room with him and learn from him,” Simpson said. “He’s one of the greatest of all time. We watched his film all the time when I was with Bama, the stuff he did, the stuff the Rams did with Coach McVay, so the fact that I can soak up all that knowledge, I couldn’t ask for a better situation.”