NFL insider reveals 1 main reason why Rams drafted Ty Simpson 13th overall

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NFL insider reveals 1 main reason why Rams drafted Ty Simpson 13th overall originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Professional football is a grueling sport, especially for quarterbacks who are at great risk of getting hit by defensive linemen who are sometimes 100 pounds heavier than they are.

That's why durability is such an important trait for a QB. And for the Los Angeles Rams, with an aging Matthew Stafford with back issues, the pick of Ty Simpson begins to make a little more sense.

But it's not just the Stafford concern as to why the Rams took Simpson. As Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer noted, the Rams took Simpson thanks to the Alabama QB showing toughness throughout the 2025 season.

Rams took Ty Simpson for showing toughness in 2025​

"But maybe most of all, as I've heard it, they loved seeing how he got scraped up, and knocked down, and picked himself up," Breer writes.

Availability is a very important ability for an NFL quarterback, especially since it's so hard to find backups who can win games.

For the Rams, with Jimmy Garoppolo likely not to be on the roster come 2026, finding a backup who could stick in there was important.

MORE: Anthony Richardson would be perfect trade target for Rams to develop behind Matthew Stafford

Simpson, the rookie QB out of Alabama whom Sean McVay and Les Snead took 13th overall in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, isn't just an intriguing prospect; he's shown toughness already in his career.

The Rams aren't taking Simpson just because he can take some hits during the course of a season. But it is a big positive that the Rams can, realistically, rely on Simpson to stick in there even if he's beat up a bit.

It's an interesting reason for the Rams to have such interest in Simpson, but it's not out of the question that his ability to handle big hits and the wear-and-tear will help raise the floor of his ability as an NFL player.

More Rams news:​

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• Rams' most overpaid player is their $9.1 million TE highlighting GM masterclass
• Puka Nacua is major beneficiary of Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s $168.6M extension

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