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Well, it certainly looks like the Los Angeles Rams have found their successor in Matthew Stafford.
In one of the statement selections on the first night of the 2026 NFL Draft, the Rams selected Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Ty Simpson with the No. 13 pick, a move that presumably makes him the heir apparent to Stafford, 38, who is the reigning NFL MVP.
Did the Rams, who reached the NFC Championship Game last season, make a mistake by not taking a player who would go from the jump? Colin Cowherd, for one, sees the reasoning in the Rams’ taking of Simpson.
“I don’t like Ty Simpson. Do I think it’s feasible? Yes, but you can’t get Ty Simpson in the second or third round this year, and the Rams will be at the bottom of the first round next year,” Cowherd said on Friday’s edition of “The Herd” about the Rams’ selection of Simpson. “They could win the Super Bowl; they’ll be drafted 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 picked on. You cross your fingers he doesn’t have back problems. A lot of the best quarterbacks, even the young ones, get hurt, so if you’re a Super Bowl team, he’s important to have high-end backup…
“I would have 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 for Jordan Whittington in the sixth round; he is, at worst, a No. 4 receiver.”
Los Angeles had the No. 13 pick following a 2025 NFL Draft night trade with the Atlanta Falcons. Meanwhile, the Rams traded the No. 29 pick to the Kansas City Chiefs in a deal to acquire cornerback and 2023 All-Pro Trent McDuffie in March.
After serving as the backup to Bryce Young (No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft) and Jalen Milroe (Seattle Seahawks’ 2025 third-round pick) from 2022-24, Simpson earned the nod for the Crimson Tide in 2025. In Simpson’s lone season as Alabama’s starting quarterback, he totaled 3,567 passing yards. passing, 28 passing touchdowns, five interceptions and a passer rating of 145.2, while completing 64.5% of his passes.
Simpson and the Crimson Tide reached the College Football Playoff, defeating the Oklahoma Sooners on their home field in the first round before losing to the Indiana Hoosiers in the quarterfinals.
“The real winner is Ty Simpson,” Cowherd said. “He gets [Rams head coach] Sean McVay [and] I don’t need to play for two years in this culture. Ty Simpson, you couldn’t land in a better place. McVay took Baker Mayfield with a drive and Baker Mayfield was outstanding with a drive. This kid [Simpson] he’ll have 300 practices and six preseason games before taking a big shot 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 in three playoff games. Stafford has one year remaining 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.
