Ty Simpson was drafted to the Los Angeles Rams, and out of all 32 teams in the NFL, L.A. is the ideal fit for him and the trajectory of his career.
Most believed that Ty Simpson was going to be a late first round pick or early second rounder.
But the Los Angeles Rams jumped ahead and put an end to that discourse.
Because you may forget, up until Week 8 of the college football season, the NFL Draft was centered around Fernando Mendoza and Simpson.
It feels like an eternity.
Simpson had a remarkable stat line as he progressed through the season up until the Missouri game, where he took a blow to the back. He held on strong for two weeks during both the Tennessee and South Carolina games.
He started the season with 20 passing touchdowns and only one interception.
But since the South Carolina game, we began seeing severe chinks to the armor.
Simpson then completed just 60% of his passes, along with eight touchdowns, four interceptions, and fumbled the ball in six consecutive games.
It was then reported after the Rose Bowl that Simpson had dealt with multiple injuries. He was already pulled from the Rose Bowl game after fracturing a rib, but it was more jarring to learn that he was dealing with a bulging disc, elbow bursitis, and gastritis which made him lose 20 pounds midseason.
Perhaps the intention to play through all the troubles was hidden behind good intentions, but it did result in Alabama struggling in the latter half of the season.
And it destroyed his draft stock.
Or did it?
The Rams drafted Simpson 13th Overall and when you take a plunge like that on a depreciating asset, you’re telling your fans that the first half of the season was the true Ty Simpson.
Rams General Manager Les Snead apparently told Simpson's family that he saw him as a first round pick, and now he gets the chance to learn behind a future Hall of Fame quarterback in Matthew Stafford.
Despite what you want to believe about Simpson, he led the Crimson Tide to a convincing win between the hedges in Athens. He stifled a red hot Vanderbilt. Handled Missouri in Columbia. And then even after suffering a back injury, stuffed Tennessee, South Carolina and LSU.
What you have is a player with an arm that can go the distance. He can complete the deep balls to Puka Nacua and Davante Adams with terrific ball placement, the right amount of zip, and legs that can break free of pressure.
The problem is, he needs the protection.
The lack of protection is what inevitably injured him down the stretch, and his willingness to play through multiple injuries shows that he can play through anything.
He’ll need to be better at decision making, but the more reps he gets and the more time he’s in an NFL facility, the trajectory of his career can only go up from now.
Is he an opening day starter? He shouldn’t be, which is why Los Angeles is the perfect place for him.
He needs at least one season behind a seasoned veteran to fully understand what he’s getting himself into. It worked while he was with Alabama, and it could work in the NFL.
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