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Well, it certainly seems that the Los Angeles Rams have found their Matthew Stafford successor.
In one of the statement selections on Night 1 of the 2026 NFL Draft, the Rams took Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Ty Simpson with the No. 13 pick, a move that presumably makes him the heir apparent to the 38-year-old Stafford, who’s the reigning NFL MVP.
Did the Rams, who reached the NFC Championship Game last season, make a mistake by not taking a player who will start from the jump? Colin Cowherd, for one, sees the reasoning in the Rams taking Simpson.
“I don’t love Ty Simpson. Do I think it’s a reach? Yeah, but you can’t get Ty Simpson in the second or third round this year, and the Rams are going to be at the bottom of the first round next year,” Cowherd said on Friday’s edition of “The Herd” about the Rams drafting Simpson. “They could win the Super Bowl; they’re going to be drafting No. 31 or 32. How many picks would it take to get a top-five quarterback next year? That’s the question because, next year, you cross your fingers Stafford doesn’t get banged up. You cross your fingers he doesn’t have back issues. Many of the top quarterbacks, even young guys, get hurt, so if you’re a Super Bowl team, it’s important to have a high-end backup. …
“I would’ve taken an offensive tackle, but this is an organization that gets wide receivers in the fifth round — Puka Nacua — and the third round — Cooper Kupp. They went and got Jordan Whittington in the sixth round; he’s, at worst, a No. 4 receiver.”
Los Angeles had the No. 13 pick as a result of a 2025 NFL Draft night trade with the Atlanta Falcons. Meanwhile, the Rams traded the No. 29 pick to the Kansas City Chiefs as part of a deal to acquire cornerback and 2023 All-Pro Trent McDuffie in March.
After serving as backup to both Bryce Young (No. 1 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft) and Jalen Milroe (third-round pick of the Seattle Seahawks in 2025) from 2022-24, Simpson got the starting nod for the Crimson Tide in 2025. In Simpson’s lone season as Alabama’s starting quarterback, he totaled 3,567 passing yards, 28 passing touchdowns, five interceptions and a 145.2 passer rating, while completing 64.5% of his passes.
Simpson and the Crimson Tide reached the College Football Playoff, defeating the Oklahoma Sooners on their home turf in the first round before losing to the Indiana Hoosiers in the quarterfinal round.
“The real winner is Ty Simpson,” Cowherd said. “He gets [Rams head coach] Sean McVay [and] doesn’t have to play for two years in that culture. Ty Simpson, you couldn’t land in a better place. McVay took Baker Mayfield with one practice and Baker Mayfield was outstanding with one practice. This kid’s [Simpson] going to have 300 practices and like six preseason games before he ever takes a big-time snap in the NFL. It’s just not the worst thing in the world.”
Regarding Stafford’s 2025 MVP campaign, he led the NFL with 4,707 passing yards and 46 passing touchdowns in the regular season, while posting a career-high 109.2 passer rating and throwing just eight interceptions. He then led the sport with 936 passing yards and six passing touchdowns across three postseason games. Stafford has one year remaining on his current contract.
As for the rest of the 2026 NFL Draft, the Rams have picks No. 61, 93, 207, 232, 251 and 252.
