Martin’s Ty Simpson Drafted in the NFL by the Rams

The Los Angeles Rams chose Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson with the 13th overall pick in the draft on Thursday, April 24, making a bold move to secure their successor to NFL MVP Matthew Stafford.

Rams general manager Les Snead made a first-round pick for only the second time in the past decade — and he turned in a shocker by taking Simpson, who wasn’t considered a first-round talent on some draft boards.

Simpson, a former standout quarterback at Westview High School in Martin, whose father, Jason, is the football head coach at UT Martin, was a starter for only one season with the Crimson Tide, passing for 3,567 yards and leading them to the Rose Bowl after three seasons as a backup.

Although the Rams finished one game shy of the Super Bowl last year following their eighth winning season in nine years under Sean McVay, they still had the 13th pick from Atlanta after a draft-day trade one year ago.

Rather than adding available receiver Makai Lemon — the Biletnikoff Award winner at Southern California last season — to maximize their championship window with Stafford, the Rams chose to look to their future.

According to WCMT Radio in Martin, Ty’s father, Coach Jason Simpson; mother, Julie; sister, Emma; and brother, Graham, were all in Pittsburgh to see Ty become a member of the NFL.