Simpson had 'secret' predraft meeting with Rams, McVay

The Los Angeles Rams' first-round selection of quarterback Ty Simpson in the 2026 draft may have shocked the NFL world, but Simpson himself wasn't caught by surprise.

The former Alabama passer, whom L.A. took 13th overall, revealed Monday that he quietly met with coach Sean McVay and Co. before the draft.

"We tried to keep this under wraps as long as we could," Simpson said on ESPN Radio's "Amber & Ian," according to ESPN's Sarah Barshop. "It was something to where I knew they were interested, but they wanted to make it private and didn't want people to know that they were interested.

"So, I had some secret meetings with Coach McVay, and I just was trying to be on script and do what everybody told me and not to tell anybody."

Simpson said he "talked for hours and hours" with McVay.

"It was just straight football," he added. "And it was like a kid in a candy store. Me and him are sitting there, and we're just going back and forth. You can tell the obsession he has for the game, and you can tell the love he has for quarterback play."

Many projected the Rams selecting a skill-position player or blue-chip defender in the first round, with the team trying to make another Super Bowl run during the Matthew Stafford era. Instead, Los Angeles picked Simpson in a stunning decision to land a potential successor to Stafford.

McVay didn't look excited while being interviewed after Round 1, which created speculation about his reaction to the Rams' draft choice. But the 40-year-old coach, as well as Los Angeles general manager Les Snead, have since said they were both on board with the Simpson pick.