One of the biggest stories after Ty Simpon was selected by the Rams was head coach Sean McVay's muted, perhaps even aggravated, reaction to the pick. In speaking to the media alongside GM Les Snead, there appeared to be a divide between the Rams brass.
Snead was a noted Simpson fan from the jump, and even advised Simpson and his father that he would be a first-round pick if he declared for the draft a year early. While McVay has spoken highly of Simpson in the past, many took his demeanor to mean that he didn't sign off on the pick and was usurped by his General Manager.
That, of course, would be counterintuitive to how the Rams have operated in the Snead/McVay era.
ESPN's Peter Schrager isn't buying that. And in an appearance on ESPN's "Get Up" on Friday morning, Schrager set the record straight on the thought process of the Rams and McVay's true feelings about the former Alabama quarterback.
According to Schrager, the Rams were worried about the division rival Arizona Cardinals, long connected to Simpson in the pre-draft process, either trading back from No. 3 or trading up and ahead of them at No. 13 - or a few picks behind if the Rams decided to trade back themselves - and that's why they pulled the trigger on Simpson when they did. He also said the Rams were comfortable having used a first round already to acquire star CB Trent McDuffie from the Chiefs.
Sean McVay is a big fan of Ty Simpson, according to ESPN's Peter Schrager
"As much as McVay was doing all that," Schrager said in response to McVay's press conference reaction, "trust me, McVay is a Ty Simpson fan, and this is a long-term pick so that they are ensured that they have their guy."
Schrager also talked about the thought process of the organization being that they won't be in this position to make a high pick on a potential franchise quarterback again anytime soon. They held the 13th pick this year due to a misguided trade by the Atlanta Falcons, and they wanted to take advantage of the premium draft choice.
Mission accomplished.
So ignore everything you see about McVay not being on board. He is, and always has been, a fan of Simpson's. He's a glove-like fit in that McVay/Shanahan offensive system, and while it will be a year or maybe even two before we get to see Simpson take another meaningful snap, when he does, he'll be ready to continue proving all the doubters wrong.
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