NFL Draft 2026: Sean McVay comes off as 'muted' after Rams' surprise pick of Alabama QB Ty Simpson

The biggest surprise of the 2026 NFL Draft came from the Los Angeles Rams, a win-now team that opted to draft its quarterback of the future. With the 13th overall pick and plenty of talent still on the board, the Rams selected Alabama passer Ty Simpson as the heir apparent to Matthew Stafford. It was quickly reported that head coach Sean McVay had spoken to Stafford earlier in the day to notify him about the decision to draft a quarterback. Stafford’s reaction to the pick will be interesting. But what really stood out Thursday night was McVay’s reaction. Speaking with reporters alongside Rams general manager Les Snead after the pick, multiple members of the media noticed McVay, well known for his animated personality, seemed subdued while talking about the pick.

FWIW, of all the draft pressers with Snead and McVay, whether it involved a first-round pick or a second-round pick, this one lacked their trademark ebullience and sense of humor.

— Gary Klein (@LATimesklein) April 24, 2026 I’ve covered a lot of first-round pick pressers across four beats. This was by far the most muted I have seen a regime about the player they drafted.

— Nate Atkins (@NateAtkins\_) April 24, 2026 I just watched the entire Rams presser, and I can't say Sean McVay was showing a ton of excitement about the Ty Simpson selection. Said he will compete with Stetson Bennett for the QB2 job. Not a bunch of smiles.

Les Snead was way more fired up.

— Hayden Winks (@HaydenWinks) April 24, 2026 Oh boy just saw Sean McVay’s presser. He’s BIG mad

— David Lombardi (@LombardiHimself) April 24, 2026 You can judge for yourself: When asked about speaking with Stafford, McVay confirmed he did and said “I’ll keep that between us” to the natural follow-up question of what was discussed. When asked if Simpson would back up Stafford, McVay bluntly said “We’ll see, he’s going to compete with [incumbent back-up Stetson Bennett]. Snead, , was noticeably more energetic. . At one point, Snead and McVay were asked if they had specifically targeted Simpson in the draft and McVay reeled off an answer that lasted for well longer than a minute. An excerpt: “There was a lot of players that we liked. When you do look at it, I think the thing you liked about the body of work is — let’s make one thing clear, this is Matthew’s team. You get a chance to be able to address the back-up quarterback, we’ve got Stetson, we’ve talked about the importance of [former Rams back-up Jimmy Garropolo], so to be able to add somebody that you can evaluate a body of work that he was asked to play the position and a lot of things that do translate: concepts, reading with his feet, some of the different things in the dropback and the play action game, the movement game.