There has been a lot of speculation about whether or not Ty Simpson would have been a first-round pick if the Los Angeles Rams didn’t take him at No. 13 overall. None of that really matters now, but it’s worth considering because of how much discussion has been had around whether or not the Rams reached on taking the Alabama quarterback this early in the 2026 draft.
Well, Simpson’s father, Jason, wants everyone to know that the Rams weren’t the only team interested in his son. Simpson told FOX Sports’ Henry McKenna after the draft that other teams picking ahead of the Rams were considering the young quarterback before No. 13. He added that teams picking after the Rams were also interested if he didn’t go to L.A.
“We had multiple conversations with multiple teams for him to go potentially even earlier [than 13th],” Simpson’s father said. “And then there were multiple opportunities behind the Rams. Matter of fact, as we were sitting there in the draft room, I was getting texts: ‘Is he going to the Rams at 13? If not, this is what’s about to happen.'”
Funny enough, this is sort of what ESPN’s Peter Schrager said was a big reason why the Rams ended up taking Simpson at No. 13. The Rams were reportedly worried that the Arizona Cardinals would trade back into the first round to take Simpson after they drafted Jeremiyah Love with the No. 3 pick.
Whether or not either report is true doesn’t really matter at the end of the day. The Rams got the quarterback of the future, they say they always wanted, and now they’ll need to begin developing him to eventually take over for Matthew Stafford.
But, at the very least, it sounds like the Rams weren’t the only teams looking to take Simpson that early.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Multiple teams eyed Ty Simpson before Rams picked him, his dad says
Reporting by Oliver G., Rams Wire / Rams Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
