Rams choose QB Ty Simpson at No. 13, securing their successor for Matthew Stafford

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) - The Los Angeles Rams chose Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson with the 13th overall pick in the draft on Thursday night, making a bold move to secure their eventual successor to NFL MVP Matthew Stafford.

Rams general manager Les Snead made a first-round pick for only the second time in the past decade - and he turned in a shocker by taking Simpson, who wasn't considered a first-round talent on some draft boards.

"The fact that an organization like the Los Angeles Rams believed in me and took a chance on me is just something that I'm so grateful for," Simpson said.

Simpson was a starter for only one season with the Crimson Tide, passing for 3,567 yards and leading them to the Rose Bowl after three seasons as a backup. Now he'll have to compete with Stetson Bennett to begin his NFL career as the backup to Stafford, according to Rams coach Sean McVay.

"Let's make one thing clear: This is Matthew's team," McVay said.

This pick was a stunner on several fronts.

After winning his first MVP award, the 38-year-old Stafford has already announced he is returning to the Rams next season, and perhaps longer. Simpson also said he had almost no contact with the Rams prior to the draft, leaving him just as surprised as the Rams' fans.

When asked what he liked most about Simpson's game, Snead curiously cited "the perseverance that you have when you go through hard things," namely Simpson's three years as a backup to Bryce Young and Jalen Milroe, followed by the Crimson Tide's progression from a season-opening loss to the College Football Playoff last season.

McVay was also measured in his praise of Simpson, only saying that Alabama's offense under offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb has similarities to the Rams' schemes. The 6-foot-1 Simpson doesn't have the arm strength or size of many top NFL quarterbacks, but the Rams will have a vacancy behind Stafford if Jimmy Garoppolo decides to retire.

"(We) get a chance to be able to address the backup quarterback," McVay said. "But there was a lot of players that we liked, and there was a lot of thought that kind of went into it."

Indeed, analysts and fans widely thought the Rams would add a No. 3 receiver - like Makai Lemon, the star Southern California wideout who was still on the board - or an offensive lineman, not a quarterback who won't play in 2026 if everything is going well.

The pick didn't seem like an intuitive move in the Rams' desire to maximize the rest of their time with Stafford, who hasn't committed beyond this season, his 17th.

Snead said it's not that simple.

"I hate sitting here and going, 'You're a player away in a draft from going to 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 confident a team as possible, and then let's go to work. ... I don't want to sit here and it's April and say, 'OK, we draft one player and let's go to the Super Bowl.' There is a lot of work to do between now and then."

Although the Rams finished one game shy of the Super Bowl last year following their eighth winning season in nine years under McVay, they still had the 13th pick from Atlanta after a draft-day trade one year ago. McVay referred to the 13th selection as "basically ... an extra pick," seemingly saying the Rams felt free to take a flyer on the second-best quarterback in the draft rather than taking a lesser risk.

Snead rarely picks in the first round, repeatedly moving his top selections for veteran talent or trading back. Los Angeles' only previous first-round pick since Jared Goff in 2016 was Jared Verse, the AP Defensive Rookie of the Year chosen 19th overall in 2024.

Snead repeated his belief that the Rams have no urgent roster needs after a 12-5 regular season and two playoff victories before a heartbreaking loss to Seattle in the NFC championship game - and he apparently used that strength to take a flyer on his possible quarterback of the future earlier than anybody expected.