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The Los Angeles Rams made the biggest surprise pick of the 2026 NFL Draft when they used the No. 13 overall pick to select Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson.
Simpson had recently received first-round buzz, and the Rams were expected by many to select a protege for current starter Matthew Stafford. But nobody expected Los Angeles to use pick 13 on a quarterback, especially when they’re currently considered Super Bowl contenders.
So when it came time for the Rams’ press conference after making the pick, you could understand why head coach Sean McVay didn’t look all that thrilled with the selection.
But according to McVay, looks can be deceiving, and he had no issue with the team using the pick to take Simpson.
Sean McVay Was Just Trying To Protect Matthew Stafford’s Feelings
McVay appeared on ESPN during Saturday’s coverage of the final four rounds and the draft, and during his appearance, he explained his now viral reaction to the Simpson pick.
According to McVay, who is entering his 10th season at the helm of the Rams, it was all about making sure Stafford didn’t take the pick the wrong way.
Sean McVay tells Kyle Brandt and Peter Schrager (together again!) that his reaction to picking Ty Simpson was, in part, because he didn’t want to send the wrong signal to Matthew Stafford. pic.twitter.com/zDZuQg8T44
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) April 25, 2026
“Well, there was some other things that I was grumpy about that you just navigate normally,” he said. “But I think the main thing, Kyle, was that we just wanted to make sure that I would’ve been stoic by nature anyway, just based on the respect for Matthew. Because it’s a unique situation.
“You get a chance to be able to take a player that you like at a really important position, but you don’t want it to be minimized or misunderstood in terms of what this means, in terms of our investment or our commitment to Matthew for as long as he wants to continue to play. So you’re kind of teetering that line, and clearly I came off a little grumpier than normal.”
See, everything is fine! Sean McVay is fine! It’s totally, 100 percent, fine, and he’s definitely not upset with the pick…