Every year, there’s one major storyline that takes over the NFL Draft.

Last year it was the shocking — yet possibly accurate — fall of Sheduer Sanders, the quarterback drafted in the fifth round by the Cleveland Browns after some analysts pegged him as a possible first-rounder.

For the 2026 NFL Draft, step on up Sean McVay and the LA Rams.

The Rams blew everyone away when they chose Alabama QB Ty Simpson with the No. 13 overall pick. Rather than use the selection to draft an impact player who can help this Super Bowl-contending roster take another step forward, GM Les Snead and Co. opted for the replacement of their current franchise QB who was named MVP last season.

Here’s what Snead and McVay said during their introductory press conference Thursday night.

On when they knew Alabama QB Ty Simpson was their selection

Snead: “I think it’s been a process that started in the offseason, per se, especially when [Head Coach] Sean [McVay] and the coaching staff got involved. That process goes all the way up until even into the latter parts of last week. Then at that point in time, like I’ve mentioned here, the sea is going to shape the 13th pick you. You had to fall.”

On what it was about Simpson that made him the choice to build towards the future

Snead: “I think that at the end of the day, probably processing football, someone who can execute a passing offense. He has mobility so that’s probably the macro. There are a lot more variables that go into it, but that’s the macro I would say.”

On Simpson’s character

Snead: “I think right now he’s still becoming, but I would say the journey that he’s had. I think the thing you appreciate is persevering through the ebbs and flows of going to Alabama, earning the job, getting his first start in the opening game against Florida State and they lose that game. I grew up in Alabama. The sky was falling in the state of Alabama, but to see probably from that point forward how they progressed as a team and him as a quarterback into the playoffs. That’s just the…I call it the perseverance that you have when you go through hard things.”

On whether they had a conversation with QB Matthew Stafford before the pick

McVay: “Yeah, I did.”

On what he told Stafford

McVay: “I’ll keep that between us.”

On whether he expects Simpson to be Stafford’s backup this season

McVay: “We’ll see. He’s going to compete with [Quarterback] Stetson [Bennett].”

On what it was about Simpson that made them choose him over someone that could be of immediate use with their current roster

Snead: “I think I mentioned it the other day on a call. You could draft someone that you think is going to be immediate and they could have an injury. Take [Tight End Terrance Ferguson] ‘Ferg’ for last year. He missed time. Then you’re like, ‘Wait a minute, we’re going to have to delay it.’ You could draft someone for the future and there could be an injury. It’s like, ‘Wait a minute. That was for the future and now it’s now.’ So I don’t know if you can ever take someone in the draft and say they’re going to come in and play, especially on a team like ours. You have to come in. You have to earn equity. You have to earn trust before you’re going to get a jersey and help us on game day.”

On whether the pick affects contract discussions with Stafford

McVay: “No.”

On the thought process to draft someone who has less starting experience

Snead: “I think probably based on his age and how long he was in college football. That’s a variable you have to work through. More reps is only going to help. In his case, when he did get in there…I would say this, he played mature in terms of how he played QB so that that could be a bonus. He didn’t need as many games to start playing mature. I think that is the benefit of going places, persevering and not just transferring trying to play. There is an element of sitting, learning, developing and getting better.”

On whether he had a preexisting relationship with Simpson’s dad, Jason Simpson

Snead: “Jason, we’ve probably been in football about the same amount of years. When I was playing in the SEC, he was playing in the SEC. He got into coaching. I don’t have a real personal relationship other than he’s been very successful with UT Martin. [Quarterback] Dresser Winn, who was one of his QBs has been a part of us. And yes, I did chat with Jason [Simpson] and the family. I do that with other players before the draft. It’s more the CAC, that advisory type of evaluation role that we have. A lot of times college coaches will ask you to sit down with different players as they’re trying to go through the process and you’re trying to give them some bullet points on what to expect. Always at the end of the day, you try to get across it’s not about where you get drafted. It’s more about where you go and what situation you go and what you do with that opportunity after.”

On Stafford’s reaction to Simpson being drafted

McVay: “He was great. He’s a stud. He’s always first class in every sense of the word.”

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