The Los Angeles Rams were the talk of the town on Day 1 of the 2026 NFL Draft, not because they picked Ty Simpson at No. 13, but because of what followed. During Thursday’s press conference, head coach Sean McVay appeared unusually subdued, which led reporters and fans to question whether he was unhappy with the selection.

From the looks of it, McVay is well aware of the narrative and speculation that is being formed around it. And maybe that’s why he didn’t wait long to confront the chatter directly when he met reporters again after Day 2 of the draft.

“What do you guys think? Am I angry right now?” Sean McVay joked, drawing laughter from the room as he addressed the reaction to his body language following the selection of Ty Simpson.

“The one thing that would never be doubted is, we couldn’t be more lockstep in every decision that we make,” McVay added. “I get my demeanor last night. … We’re excited about it. Always want to be mindful of how things come off, things like that. Very excited about last night, very excited about today, and couldn’t be more excited about us continuing to get to lead together.

“But every decision we make is collective and collaborative. For any of the questions or misunderstandings based on my demeanor and disposition last night, I did want to get that out of the way. This is my buddy right here, all right? It was brought to my attention because I got so many texts. That was never my intended way to come off, but sometimes I can be a little grumpy.”

McVay also clarified that his mood had little to do with football decisions at all. Instead, he pointed to ordinary off-field factors and a desire to be respectful while discussing a quarterback room still led by reigning MVP Matthew Stafford.

“There was other things that had nothing to do with that, which that’s normal life, but the main thing was I think, I couldn’t be more excited about being able to add him, but also understanding of how much I love Matthew Stafford, how respectful you want to always be to just the way things can be interpreted,” McVay said. “And so, the demeanor would have been stoic by nature because you are excited but it is Matthew’s football team. Excited to be able to add Ty. What a blessing it is for him to be able to learn from Matthew, to be able to come into this atmosphere and environment. But, whenever that time comes for him to get an opportunity to be Matthew’s successor will be on Matthew’s terms. And I think that’s really what the important thing was. And I didn’t want that to ever be misunderstood, while not minimizing the excitement for Ty.”

Snead echoed that same message earlier in the day, reinforcing that the quarterback selection was the result of a shared process rather than a divided draft room. Speaking during a radio appearance, he emphasized how closely the two have worked together throughout the roster-building cycle.

“At the end of the day, Sean and I are going to always work together in these types of decisions,” Snead said. “Last night was, let’s call it, a long – I wouldn’t call it long. The draft was a little bit shorter, so I think it went faster. But there was a lot that was going on into maneuvering that draft. We’re in lockstep, we work together, we’re collaborative, it’s him and I partnering to try to do the best for the Rams.”

Around the league, similar interpretations began to surface as well. Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reported that multiple team sources believed McVay intentionally struck a careful tone in order to reinforce his confidence in Stafford as the team’s present-day leader. One source summed it up simply: “He will be cautious and protective of Matt, and rightfully so. I think Sean is excited about the pick. The appreciation for the tape was the biggest thing.”

That balancing act is part of what Mike Garafolo of NFL Network described as the reality McVay faces while introducing a future quarterback without disrupting the locker room hierarchy that already exists.

“Let’s make one thing clear: This is Matthew’s team,” McVay said.

Around the league, there was also a sense that the decision leaned more toward the front office than the coaching staff. For context, Simpson reportedly did not speak with McVay before the draft, while Snead had identified him as a priority earlier in the process, with no credible reports suggesting McVay opposed the pick.

Now that McVay has addressed the misunderstanding around the selection, the focus shifts to what the pick means from an evaluation standpoint, particularly in light of Dan Orlovsky’s pre-draft stance on Simpson.

Dan Orlovsky’s evaluation gains validation

For over a month, Dan Orlovsky, ESPN analyst and former NFL quarterback, had publicly projected Ty Simpson as a first-round pick. At one point, he even claimed Simpson was better than projected No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza. That take drew criticism at the time, but the Rams’ selection of Simpson has shifted the conversation.

“I just, truly, in my gut thought he would be a first-round pick,” Orlovsky said.

Many analysts had Mendoza locked in as the likely top selection. Simpson, meanwhile, was harder to place, with insiders struggling to find a clear team fit. As the draft approached, that uncertainty only strengthened Orlovsky’s stance.

“There’s no way that all these people – coach-wise, as smart as they are – and I’m the only person who thinks that,” he said.

But the significance wasn’t just the pick itself; it was who made it. The Rams are one of the league’s most well-run organizations with Snead and McVay at the helm. Once they made the move, it added another layer of validation to Orlovsky’s evaluation.

“Because you’re not taking him unless you’re both (Snead and McVay) like, ‘Yup, we’re doing this,'” he said. “It being the Rams, even more kind of validates it for me and just reinforces ‘Just keep trusting what you’re doing, because more often than not it works out.'”

From the Rams’ perspective, the reasoning is fairly straightforward. Matthew Stafford is still performing at a high level, but the team understands it can’t rely on him indefinitely as he moves deeper into his late 30s. Simpson gives them a long-term option and a potential successor.

With Stafford expected to return for the 2026 season, Simpson will have time to develop behind an established starter before eventually stepping into a larger role.