San Francisco 49ers fans delighted as the Los Angeles Rams made a head-scratching move in Round 1 of the 2026 NFL Draft on Thursday night by selecting quarterback Ty Simpson with the 13th overall pick.
Rams head coach Sean McVay’s face shows that the Niners gained on LA by trading out of the first round, while the Rams made a move that is likely not going to help them at all next season.
McVay was asked about the Simpson selection and was very curt with his answers. After Rams general manager Les Snead was pretty effusive in his praise of Simpson, McVay’s answers were short and to the point, and he didn’t even commit to Simpson as the team’s backup, saying that he would compete with Stetson Bennett:
He’s over the moon. Never seen anyone this ecstatic about their future franchise guy. pic.twitter.com/KWOcHIxcfk
— 🅱️en (@benboomjamin) April 24, 2026
That’s what made the move even more surprising. The Rams drafted Bennett a few years ago, ostensibly to be their quarterback of the future once Matthew Stafford retired. Now, that pick looks pretty foolish after they took Simpson.
It wasn’t only 49ers fans who were delighted by the shocking Rams pick. When general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan were asked about the Rams pick, Lynch couldn’t help but smirk before giving a fairly diplomatic response:
I asked John Lynch about his reaction to the Rams selecting Ty Simpson at 13. #49ers pic.twitter.com/8towzxrE1F
— Matt Lively (@mattblively) April 24, 2026
That smirk says it all, though. With how hotly contested the NFC West was last season, the Niners have to feel like they can gain some ground on Los Angeles in this draft if they make some good picks.
McVay knows it, too, which is why his body language was so easy to read in that press conference. He knows his team just did his good buddy Shanahan a big favor, and with Stafford maybe only having a good few seasons left in him, that Simpson decision could come back to bite the Rams if he ends up not being very good.
The Niners have certainly been down the road of reaching on a quarterback in the first round. They sold the farm to draft Trey Lance back in 2021, and it was probably the worst decision of the Lynch-Shanahan era.
Some have speculated that McVay may want out of LA after Stafford retires. Maybe this Simpson selection exposes a rift between him and Snead, and the coach will look to go somewhere else when Stafford decides to hang it up.
49ers fans would certainly welcome that because McVay is a great coach, so getting him as far away from the NFC West would be more than ideal.
But for now, the Niners have at least gained ground on the Rams, and McVay’s face makes that as plain as day.
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