Ty Simpson was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams as the 13th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, validating Dan Orlovsky's prediction. Orlovsky had previously argued that Simpson would be a better pro than the consensus top prospect, Fernando Mendoza.
Key points
Ty Simpson was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams.
He was selected as the 13th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Dan Orlovsky predicted Simpson would be a better pro than Fernando Mendoza.
Orlovsky claimed Simpson would be a first-round pick.
The Rams' choice of Simpson was a surprising move.
Dan OrlovskyFernando MendozaTy SimpsonLos Angeles Rams
Ty Simpson drafted by Rams: Orlovsky takes victory lap, but how does Stafford feel?
For more than six weeks, Dan Orlovksy took his lumps for saying that quarterback Ty Simpson projected as the better pro compared to consensus No. 1 overall prospect Fernando Mendoza. The ESPN analyst and former NFL quarterback also remained adamant that Simpson would be a first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
"I just, truly, in my gut thought he would be a first-round pick," Orlovsky told USA TODAY Sports.
Insiders and experts struggling to find a team and fit for Simpson as the draft approached only reinforced his belief.
“There’s no way that all these people – coach-wise, as smart as they are – and I’m the only person who thinks that,” Orlovsky said.
The Rams, considered one of the best-run organizations in the league with general manager Les Snead and head coach Sean McVay at the helm, making the pick only added a layer of validation.
“Because you’re not taking him unless you’re both (Snead and McVay) like, ‘Yup, we’re doing this,’” Orlovsky said. “It being the Rams, even more kind of validates it for me and just reinforces ‘Just keep trusting what you’re doing, because more often than not it works out.’”
Las Vegas Raiders – QB Fernando Mendoza, Indiana
The first round of the 2026 NFL Draft brings franchise‑defining moments as teams make their selections from the top of the board.
Q&A
What pick was Ty Simpson drafted by the Rams?
Ty Simpson was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams as the 13th overall pick.
What was Dan Orlovsky's prediction about Ty Simpson?
Dan Orlovsky predicted that Ty Simpson would be a first-round pick and a better pro than Fernando Mendoza.
How did the Rams' selection of Ty Simpson surprise analysts?
The Rams' selection of Ty Simpson at No. 13 overall was considered a surprising move in the first round of the draft.
What does Ty Simpson's draft mean for Matthew Stafford?
Ty Simpson's draft raises questions about Matthew Stafford's future with the Rams, though his specific feelings on the selection are not detailed.
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Skeptics of the pick, however, were quick to point out the news conference McVay and Snead held. Snead explained the reasoning for the pick despite having the reigning league MVP at quarterback in Matthew Stafford. In fairness to the Rams, Stafford is 38 and reached a contract impasse with the franchise last offseason that nearly resulted in divorce.
McVay seemed less interested in touting Simpson compared to protecting Stafford’s position.
“Let's make one thing clear, this is Matthew's team,” McVay said. “You get a chance to be able to address the backup quarterback.”
McVay’s offensive system, Orlovsky said, puts quarterbacks under center and forces them turn their back to defense to run play-action pass. Shifts and motions, which Simpson did plenty of at Alabama, are another factor of the scheme.
“It’s a great place for a quarterback to learn and sit without the pressure of ‘you have to go win,’” said Orlovsky. He added that the most difficult thing for young quarterbacks to handle upon entering the league is managing two things that are tough to balance simultaneously: developing and winning. It’s why QBs fail, Orlovsky said. To win, young gunslingers revert to habits, as they haven’t developed NFL habits yet.
Orlovsky also has a hard time believing the Simpson pick lacked input from McVay.
“You don’t get to where (the Rams) are without being on the same page,” he said.
What happens next for the Rams is important when it comes to placating Stafford.
Orlovsky, Stafford's former Lions teammate, hasn’t spoken with the passer, but made the educated assumption that the QB has asked the Rams for receiver help via the draft. If the front office can make that happen, Orlovsky said, they will have threaded the needle of bridging the future and the present. If they don’t, though, then he could understand Stafford’s confusion. A selection such as De’Zhaun Stribling from Ole Miss or Oklahoma’s Deion Burks would be ideal, Orlovsky said.
“I think Matthew is an unbelievably competitive person who knows how close they are (to winning another Super Bowl),” Orlovsky said.
McVay said he spoke to Stafford before the pick was made and that he wanted to keep the conversation between the two of them.
“He was great,” McVay said of Stafford’s reaction. “He's a stud. He's always first class in every sense of the word.”
McVay said he’s watched the way Stafford “poured into” backup quarterbacks Steson Bennett and Jimmy Garoppolo and expects that will be the same now that Simpson is in the building.
McVay didn’t commit to Simpson being Stafford’s backup immediately and said he would have to compete with Stetson Bennett. Less than a month ago, McVay publicly stumped for Kirk Cousins to sign with the Rams before he joined the Las Vegas Raiders.
What drew Rams to Ty Simpson? GM explains
With 15 collegiate starts, Simpson would have been a project for whichever team drafted him.
While he’s “still becoming,” Snead said, the Rams were drawn to Simpson’s football journey. At Alabama, he sat for three seasons before starting all of the Crimson Tide’s games in 2025, when he passed for 28 touchdowns and threw 5 interceptions as Alabama fell in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals to eventual national champion Indiana (quarterbacked by Mendoza).
On ESPN Los Angeles’ morning radio show, Snead said the Rams have always known that they must secure a quarterback of the future.
“The way the stars aligned in this draft, that was an opportunity we felt like we should take," he said.
The Rams do have a need for an immediate backup quarterback, with Garoppolo weighing retirement and Bennett the other quarterback on the roster.
Los Angeles’ selection of defensive lineman Jared Verse in the 2024 draft was the first time they had picked in the first round since taking quarterback Jared Goff eight years prior. This is the franchise that popularized the phrase “(expletive) them picks.” But there is no timeline for the passing of the torch, Snead said.
The vision has always been to chase being “special” with Stafford leading the way, Snead said.
“I hate sitting here and going, ‘you're a player away in a draft from the Super Bowl,’” Snead said. “At the end of the day, what we want to accomplish in the draft and any acquisitions that we have is try to engineer as competent a team as possible. Then, let's go to work.”
The Rams are at the forefront of revamping the draft evaluation process, evidenced by their skipping of the combine and McVay’s general limited interaction with prospects. Simpson said a handful of scouts met with him in Alabama “and that was really it.”
“I really had no clue,” Simpson said.
Joining forces with McVay and Stafford is something Simpson cherishes, he said.
“Being in the same room as a first ballot Hall of Famer and a guy who is so smart, like coach, it’s super surreal,” he said.
Dan Orlovsky says it’s important for media to be right
Orlovsky’s first victory lap came in the moments after commissioner Roger Goodell announced the pick. On the set of “The Pat McAfee Show,” Orlovsky stood and received daps from the six individuals beside him while the crowd below started chanting “Dan-O! Dan-O! Dan-O!” – a signal of how closely Simpson and Orlovsky have been linked this draft season.
As Orlovsky stumped for Simpson, bad-faith actors attempted to explain Orlovsky’s stumping by pointing out both are represented by Creative Arts Agency (CAA). Orlovsky knew his take wouldn’t be well-received and that he’d be in the minority.
“It feels good when you put in the work and you’re right,” he said. “Yes, for me, I loved that.”
Orlvosky wasn’t supposed to be on McAfee’s show and was chilling in the hotel when he picked up a FaceTime from the ex-NFL punter. He sent a producer to navigate the way through the record crowd to the set.
The Rams’ pick came up and McAfee was debating with Hall of Fame head coach Bill Cowher, who argued that Simpson would be around for any team that wanted him in the late 20s.
“I’m outspoken about this. It’s obviously not my moment. But I’m one person in the media who believes we should be right. I believe we should strive to be right,” Orlovsky said.
Orlovsky was. Now the Rams have to hope they are, too.