The Los Angeles Rams were secretive about their plans for the No. 13 pick. But multiple sources expected the Rams to draft USC wide receiver Makai Lemon. Instead, Los Angeles shockingly selected Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson.
After he was drafted on Thursday, Simpson told reporters he only had a “brief” interaction with some Rams scouts at Alabama’s Pro Day workout.
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On Monday, Simpson revealed he had actually had a secret meeting with Rams coach Sean McVay that lasted hours before the draft. Simpson said the franchise wanted to keep their interest in him a secret for as long as they could.
“We tried to keep this under wraps as long as we could,” Simpson said in an interview with Ian Fitzsimmons on ESPN Radio’s “Amber & Ian” on Monday. “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 spoke with McVay for multiple hours strictly about football and how he would be coached on the Rams. The All-SEC Second Team selection said the conversation made him excited about the possibility of playing for the Rams.
“It was just straight football,” Simpson said to Fitzsimmons. “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.
“It’s something that I appreciate, and it’s something that I enjoy because I really enjoy playing the position and value the position. So, being with him and then getting to know him and then just seeing a little bit of how I would get coached if I was fortunate enough to go there was something that I couldn’t have asked for a better situation.”
Simpson will start his NFL career as a backup for reigning NFL Most Valuable Player, Matthew Stafford. Joining the Rams gives Simpson the chance to learn from a veteran quarterback before eventually taking on a starting role in the future.
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