NFL news: Rams’ Ty Simpson reveals ‘secret’ pre-draft meetings with Sean McVay
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
The Los Angeles Rams managed to surprise the NFL world by selecting Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson on Thursday night due to some “secret” pre-draft meetings.
Simpson, 23, said the Rams wanted to distract other teams by keeping meetings quiet.
“I had some secret meetings with Coach (Sean) McVay and I was just trying to follow the script and do what everyone told me and not tell anyone,” Simpson said in a recent interview. ESPN Radio.
CLICK HERE TO GET MORE SPORTS NEWS ON FOXNEWS.COM
Alabama’s Ty Simpson celebrates being selected as the 13th overall pick by the Los Angeles Rams in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on April 23, 2026. (Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)
Simpson said he knew the Rams were interested but wanted to keep it private.
“We tried to keep this as secret as we could,” Simpson said. “This was something I knew they were interested in, but they wanted to make it private and didn’t want people to know they were interested.”
The Tennessee native raved about his new situation, comparing talking to Rams head coach Sean McVay during the “secret meeting” to being like a kid in a candy store.
“It was great, we met at the facility and it was something we talked about for hours, it was just football. It was just football and he was like a kid in a candy store. Me and him sitting there, just going back and forth. You could tell his passion for the game and his love for the quarterback game,” Simpson said.
“It’s something that I appreciate and it’s something that I enjoy because I really enjoy playing that position and I value that position. So it was something to be with him and get to know him and see a little bit of how I would be coached if I were lucky enough to go there. I couldn’t ask for a better situation.”
ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. GET THE DON’T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW!
Alabama Crimson Tide’s Ty Simpson warms up before the College Football Playoff quarterfinal game against the Indiana Hoosiers at Rose Bowl Stadium on January 1, 2026 in Pasadena, California. (CFP/Getty Images)
Simpson’s selection was such a surprise because the Rams are in win-now mode. While the Rams could move forward by drafting the quarterback of the future, the No. 13 overall pick could be used for a player at a different position who could impact the team this season.
Matthew Stafford played the best football of his career in his 17th season and won his first MVP with the Rams last year. However, when the 38-year-old point guard concluded his MVP speech with this news, he announced that he would return for another season.
With Stafford’s future looking uncertain after next season, the Rams have highlighted their heir apparent in Simpson.
McVay said at a news conference Friday that he was excited for Simpson to learn from Stafford.
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD FOX NEWS APPLICATION
Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay walks on the field at Lumen Field following the 2026 NFC Championship Game against the Seattle Seahawks on January 25, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Kevin Ng/Imagn Images)
“I’m excited to be able to add Ty. What a blessing it is for him to be able to learn from Matthew and be able to get into that atmosphere and environment. When the time comes for him to have the opportunity to be Matthew’s successor, he’ll be on Matthew’s terms. I think that’s what was important. I didn’t want that to come across the wrong way without minimizing the excitement of Ty and the involvement,” McVay said.
“Les and his group really loved it. When we really started looking into it, there was a series of studies that, as I mentioned, were a good, fun evaluation. There were a lot of concepts that we were going to activate. The guy is a football junkie and plays with timing and rhythm. You can see that he’s a coach’s son. His journey is a fun journey that he’s had.”
OutKick’s Clay Travis said before the NFL Draft began last week that Simpson would be an excellent fit for the Rams.
Simpson started just one season at Alabama, his last in 2025. In 15 games, he completed 64.5% of his passes for 3,567 yards with 28 touchdowns and five interceptions.
Follow Fox News Digital Sports streaming on Xand subscribe Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
