I understand that the initial reaction to the Los Angeles Rams selecting Ty Simpson at 13th overall in the NFL Draft is gut wrenching development for a lot of fans. Matthew Stafford is a beloved figure who hoisted the Lombardi Trophy at SoFi Stadium.

But nothing good lasts forever. Stafford is in the twilight of his career and the Rams are wise to prepare arguably too soon rather than be caught by surprise.

The Rams are in good hands with Simpson, although admittedly this is far from a surefire selection. The Alabama product has a less than desirable resume of starting experience. When he took over as the leading man for the Tide in 2025, he started the season on a tear and that pace was unsustainable because of a myriad of injuries. If Simpson were able to sustain his production, we may be talking about him closer to the likes of Joe Burrow.

I love Ty Simpson to the Rams!Congrats, Ty!! We’ll be rooting for you!@reeses pic.twitter.com/iSgZKEaPRb

Simpson certainly has his share of fans in the media. Dan Orlovsky, signed as a preseason mentor to Jared Goff in 2017, argued that Simpson is a better prospect than first overall selection Fernando Mendoza. Orlovsky stuck his neck out and took a ton of heat; however, it makes sense that Orlovsky—who understands Sean McVay well—saw a similar picture to LA’s head coach.

Mike Renner of CBS Sports was also a big-time advocate for Simpson. On Renner’s final draft big board he ranked Simpson at 11th ahead of players like Mansoor Delane, Vega Ioane, Francis Mauigoa, Makai Lemon, Carnell Tate, and others.

It could take a long while before we know whether Simpson is the answer at quarterback. Stafford could have multiple years left in the tank. Honestly, the more time Simpson has to learn from Stafford and develop behind the scenes will only benefit him moving forward.

While the 2026 quarterback class has often been maligned, Simpson was always a hidden gem and a better prospect than the consensus indicated. Even if you do not subscribe to the idea that Simpson is on the same level as Mendoza, you could conclude that he’s as attractive as an option as Cam Ward or Jaxson Dart. The Rams could have made a move for Dart last year if they wanted. They obviously hold a higher opinion of Simpson.

Buying into Simpson’s final year at the college level does require some handwaving away of the bad. The top of the draft class was wide open. Simpson was on pace to be in the first overall selection conversation—ultimately Mendoza finished stronger and is now a Las Vegas Raider.

But Simpson’s decline starting around November has important nuance that we must take into account.

Ty Simpson find Horton for the TD!✅ I. Horton Anytime TD +325(via @AlabamaFTBL)pic.twitter.com/XBpqAksQST

According to Greg Liodice of Yahoo Sports, Simpson completed passes at a 73.3% clip through the first eight weeks of the year. Through the season finale, Simpson’s completion rate in the remaining games dipped to 61.4%. Simpson had been battling a back injury before this inflection point and then broke a rib in Week 9. The quarterback took painkillers to fight through the injuries and ended up with gastritis as a result. The snowball continued to pile up until Alabama was sent home from the college playoffs sooner than expected, and Simpson’s play factored into the result.

Skeptics will say that you cannot simply ignore the injuries. Simpson has a slight frame at 6-1, 211 lbs. A player of that stature may be no stranger to dings throughout their career.

But if you focus on what Simpson is capable of, you can see the Rams’ vision. He brings a refreshing element of mobility to Los Angeles. His arm is strong and he has great touch to layer throws between defenders. This isn’t Dart in the Ole Miss offense. You can clearly see production on Simpson’s tape that translates to the professional game. You just have to look for it.

Ty Simpson throwing a TD on a play he HATES is next level QB’ing 😂Watch the pre-snap command — setting protections, re-ID’ing the Mike, & owning the whole picture in the CFP. pic.twitter.com/fyyapTmF2u

We know Sean McVay expects big-time throws from his quarterbacks. This is something littered all over Stafford’s tape during his Detroit days and they have only grown more frequent in LA.

Simpson is also capable of throwing receivers open. He tossed big-time throws at a 6.0% clip in 2025 according to Pro Football Focus (PFF). This ranked 17th among all college quarterbacks with at least 288 drop backs. These are the notable draft prospects within the range:

And while Simpson could certainly improve at taking care of the football, he’s certainly not in concerning territory from a turnover-worthy play perspective. Simpson ranked 42nd using the snap drop back thresholds with a 3.0% TWP rate.

For comparison, Stafford has career rates of 5.4% for big-time throws and 3.2% from a turnover-worthy play perspective. While college production does not easily translate to the NFL, Simpson and Stafford are similar on the surface.

But one key difference from Stafford to Simpson is mobility, and this element should be a refreshing addition to the McVay offense.