Rams Select Quarterback Ty Simpson with 13th Pick in 2026 NFL Draft

The Los Angeles Rams selected quarterback Ty Simpson with the 13th pick in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft on Thursday night. Sean McVay addressed reporters during a press conference on Friday night during Day 2 of the 2026 NFL Draft. McVay stated that he and general manager Les Snead ‘couldn’t be more in lockstep’ about their decisions.

‘Always want to be mindful of how things come off, things like that. Very excited about last night, very excited about (Friday) and couldn’t be more excited about us continuing to lead together, but every decision that we make is collective and collaborative,’ McVay said. McVay learned that his reaction went viral due to an influx of texts received after his press conference on Thursday.

McVay mentioned the Rams have Stetson Bennett and discussed the importance of Jimmy Garoppolo. ‘You get a chance to address the backup quarterback, we’ve got Stetson (Bennett), we’ve talked about the importance of Jimmy (Garoppolo), so to add somebody you can evaluate a body of work where he was asked to play the position, and a lot of things that do translate in terms of concepts, reading with his feet … We’ll be excited to get to work with him,’ McVay said.

McVay explained on Friday that his grumpy demeanor stemmed from outside factors.

‘The demeanor would have been stoic by nature because you are excited, but by no means — it is Matthew’s football team,’ he said. ‘Excited to be able to add Ty. ’ ‘But whenever that time comes for him to get an opportunity to be Matthew’s successor, will be on Matthew’s terms.

And I think that’s really what the important thing was. I didn’t want that to ever be misunderstood, while not minimizing the excitement for Ty, the buy-in,’ McVay stated. McVay told Stafford that the team planned to take Simpson at No.