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Well, it certainly looks like the Los Angeles Rams have found their Matthew Stafford successor.
In one of the statement picks 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 likely makes him the heir to the 38-year-old Stafford, the reigning NFL MVP.
Did the Rams, who reached the NFC Championship Game last season, make a mistake by not taking a jump starter? Colin Cowherd, for example, sees the reasoning behind 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 in 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 draft No. 31 or 32. How many picks does it take to get a top-five quarterback next year? That’s the question, because next year, fingers crossed. Stafford doesn’t get beat up. Fingers crossed he doesn’t have back problems. A lot of the best quarterbacks, you hurt a Super Bowl team, so if you hurt a young guy. have an advanced backup…
“I would have taken an offensive tackle, but this is an organization that gets wide receivers in the fifth round — Puka Nacua — and third round — Cooper Kupp. They went and got Jordan Whittington in the sixth round; he’s a No. 4 receiver at worst.”
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 the 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 starting season, 56’s, 7’s at quarterback, 7.28 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 at home 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] don’t have to play for two years in that culture. Ty Simpson, you couldn’t land in a better place. McVay took Baker Mayfield in one practice, and Baker Mayfield was excellent in one practice. This child’s [Simpson] is 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.”
As for 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 left on his current contract.
As for the rest of the 2026 NFL Draft, the Rams have picks Nos. 61, 93, 207, 232, 251 and 252.
