Most NFL draft picks have at least one trait that defines their game and makes them attractive to scouts and coaches. The consensus opinion of those players' top strengths by Rams general manager Les Snead and his staff are called their "superpowers."
The Rams selected Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson with the 13th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. He sat behind Bryce Young and Jalen Milroe for three seasons before getting his shot to start as a senior in 2025.
According to his college stats and film, processing and making pro-style throws are Simpson's superpowers. Here are some metrics, highlights and quotes showcasing that skill set.
Stats
In 2025, Simpson tied for the FBS lead in big time throws, according to Pro Football Focus, defined as "a pass with excellent ball location and timing, generally thrown further down the field and/or into a tighter window," with 30.
The combination of Simpson's high-level football IQ and strong fundamentals allowed him to process the defense quickly and deliver dimes accurately into tight windows down the field in a pro-style system. That stats illustrated just how well he was able to do that, and the fact that he finished with just five interceptions in 15 games means he did so without forcing throws very often.
Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford led the NFL in that same category last season with 58 big time throws, so although they play the quarterback position differently, the symmetry is there.
Highlights
Against LSU last season, Simpson faked the handoff and looked right, but quickly moved off his first read and stepped up in the pocket before finding the crossing route and delivering a strike between defenders.
Against Vanderbilt, Simpson looked off the deep safety in a cover two defense and as soon as he drifted toward the middle, Simpson fired a laser to the receiver running a go route to hit him between defenders for a touchdown.
Quotes
"You have to be smart to play here. You can tell just watching the film that he knows how to play the position. He's a super smart quarterback. He obviously grew up with a dad as a coach so he's lived and breathed it for his entire life. It's a rare trait in a guy who has played a year really of college football to find that so that was something that stood out to us." - Rams director of scouting, strategy and analytics Nicole Blake
"We watched him play in a pro style system. He makes a lot of pro-style throws and it was very easy to see the translation." - Blake
"As soon as we started really studying him, there was a body of work, like I talked about, that was a good, fun evaluation. A lot of the concepts that we would activate… The guy is a football junkie and plays with the timing and rhythm." - Rams head coach Sean McVay
"Quick processor who eliminates things quickly, reads out entire field and finds backside dig/curl... Repeatable mechanics with quarterback muscle memory." - The Athletic's Dane Brugler
