Night 1 of the 2026 NFL Draft offered chaos as expected, but perhaps the biggest surprise was seeing the Los Angeles Rams use the Atlanta Falcons' first-round pick to draft Ty Simpson 13th overall. Most NFL fans seem to be pretty worried about this, but Sean McVay looked unenthused.
Not only did the Rams draft a player the Falcons never would've selected in a million years, even their own head coach has reservations. During the Rams' post-draft press conference, McVay's reactions said it all. Not only did his body language show he looked livid, but it took one sentence to confirm.
"Let’s make one thing clear, this is Matthew's team," McVay said while addressing the media.
What a ringing endorsement of the kid you just drafted to be your long-term franchise QB. Openly admitting you want him competing with Stetson Bennett for the backup job rather than becoming the eventual successor to Matthew Stafford is making the Falcons' thought process only look better.
Even Sean McVay knows the Rams wasted the Falcons' first-round pick
Atlanta was looked at as crazy for giving up what they did to land James Pearce Jr., but legal issues aside, he validated their belief when he was on the field. And they got Xavier Watts out of this deal, while the Rams came away with a solid tight end and a potential franchise QB their coach didn't want.
From my perspective, it seems like there was a disagreement in the Rams' war room on where to go with this pick. It sounds like McVay wanted a weapon like Makai Lemon or Kenyon Sadiq, while general manager Les Snead was pushing to draft Simpson as Stafford's heir apparent in Los Angeles.
The Rams are a win-now roster. Who knows the next time you'll be able to pick this high and land a game-changer for the offense. Stafford was just named the NFL MVP too. He clearly isn't slowing down any time soon, so what exactly does drafting Simpson accomplish for a contending roster?
McVay has always been the all-in type, but Snead did him wrong here. Apparently, the Rams' GM is pretty tight buddies with Simpson's dad Jason, which has to have been the catalyst for this selection, as most people in NFL circles didn't even have a first-round grade on the 23-year-old before the draft.
McVay is clearly livid. Just look at these facial expressions courtesy of Falcons' legend Kurt Benkert.
The looks say it all pic.twitter.com/iIwWqnXHKd
— Kurt Benkert (@KurtBenkert) April 24, 2026
In the perfect situation for NFL success, it's hard to imagine Simpson won't have a successful career in some capacity. I'm sure that'll sting at times over the years, but it would've been way worse for the Dirty Birds if a guy who would've filled a bigger need like Lemon was the pick over a polarizing QB. At the most important position in sports, this trade will be graded on a curve now.
Pearce's legal issues complicate things, but I would take him when on the field over anyone the Rams could've drafted at 13. Terry Fontenot wasn't exactly a genius for this move, but Falcons fans should be able to rest a little easier knowing Los Angeles left a lot of meat on the bone by taking Simpson.
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