The Los Angeles Rams wagered high on Ty Simpson when they selected him with the No. 13 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Will it be a high payoff or will using the high pick on the former Alabama Crimson Tide star quarterback be looked at as a bad bet?
One former NFL star says if Simpson doesn’t live up to one NFL QB legend, taking Simpson where they took him will be a bust. Well, even the top drafted quarterbacks will have a tough time living up to the man known as Tom Brady, but when TJ Ward went on a rant about the Rams selecting Simpson where they drafted him, he was talking more about the Rams current QB situation in which they already have MVP Matthew Stafford as the starter and Stetson Bennett as a backup.
Why reach for a QB that high now instead of rolling with Bennett as the backup was the supporting question that led to Ward’s rant on his backup.
TJ Ward believes Ty Simpson must justify the Rams' gamble
“If you watched that dude tape, it was like, oh yeah, I’m picking him 13th, top 20. You’re out of your d*** mind,” Ward said on the Safety First Show. “And that’s just a fact. For the Rams to pick him at 13 when they already have a starting quarterback, already have a backup, who was on a quality Georgia team national championship, and looked better than Ty Simpson in college. And you already got a guy like that on the roster, but you reached.
“This is why I see why the Rams trade all them d*** picks for players. It’s not a bad scheme if you’re going to draft like this. It definitely works in your favor. You might as well get some guys that are proven in the NFL, trade those draft picks for those guys, because you can’t draft. If this is your first-round draft pick in three years, two years, and you go get Ty Simpson, hey, he better be Tom Brady.”
To note, Brady wasn’t a first round pick himself. Selected with the 199th overall pick in the 2000 NFL Draft, the legendary quarterback earned his status as the GOAT after taking over the role from Drew Bledsoe, a No. 1 overall pick, and leading the New England Patriots to six Super Bowl victories before taking his talents to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers where he won another.
The Rams have a different vision for Ty Simpson
Ward's criticism of spending the No. 13 overall pick on Simpson is understandable. First-round quarterbacks are expected to become franchise players, especially when they're drafted that high. But the Rams didn't select Simpson because they needed an immediate starter. They drafted him because they believe Sean McVay can develop him into Stafford's eventual successor.
The bigger question is whether Simpson justifies being the No. 13 overall pick. Although the talent and attributes are NFL-starter worthy, Simpson will need to develop into an elite franchise QB according to Ward to make the reach well worth it.
Ward is right about one thing: first-round quarterbacks are judged differently. But comparing Simpson to the greatest quarterback in NFL history sets an impossible bar for any rookie. The Rams don't need Simpson to become Tom Brady, they need him to become the long-term answer after Matthew Stafford. If Sean McVay develops Simpson into a franchise quarterback who keeps Los Angeles in Super Bowl contention for the next decade, the No. 13 pick will be remembered as a gamble that paid off, regardless of how many rings Brady won.
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