The San Francisco 49ers made easy work of the Los Angeles Rams last week by beating them 27-7 in Australia.
It provided a reminder of how puzzling LA’s draft strategy was back in April.
The Rams had such a huge offseason by adding Myles Garrett, Trent McDuffie, and getting Aaron Donald to come out of retirement that it's easy to forget how silly they looked after the NFL Draft. They selected quarterback Ty Simpson in the first round, a move that was shocking at the time and seems even more jarring now.
The Rams are obviously in win-now mode. Matthew Stafford probably only has a few years left, and their roster is full of veterans. Yet, for some reason, Los Angeles decided to make a future-focused move by drafting Simpson out of the University of Alabama.
Rams look even worse for drafting Ty Simpson after Week 1 loss
Despite all of the claims that the Rams were a “super team” coming into this season, or that they would go undefeated, Week 1 showed that they have some weaknesses. The Niners carved that vaunted defense up pretty well, although it’s worth noting Garrett was clearly not fully healthy and has to undergo surgery, while Donald didn’t even make the trip.
They’re not as bad as they looked in Australia, but this notion that the Horns were unstoppable was always silly. Couple that with the fact they burned a pick on a guy who probably won’t play for several years (keep in mind the fact he couldn’t even win the backup job) rather than drafting a player who could've had an immediate impact may prove to be a huge mistake.
What makes it even better (at least from the Niners' perspective) is it seemed pretty clear head coach Sean McVay was not thrilled with the Simpson pick. His face seemed to say it all, and his curt answers on the selection suggest he wishes Los Angeles had drafted a player who could provide an impact as a rookie.
The Rams are going to be a much different team when they meet the Niners in Week 15 than they were in Week 1. McVay is too good of a coach, and they have too much talent to completely fall apart.
But they are far from unstoppable, and the 49ers just proved that.
Maybe five years from now, Simpson is an MVP and the pick looks genius, keeping the Rams relevant for years going forward. But when it comes to the 2026 season, it remains a real head-scratcher for a team that pushed all its chips in with its other offseason moves.
The 49ers certainly aren't complaining, though.
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