Rams GM Les Snead Talks Ty Simpson, Matthew Stafford & More with Rich

Los Angeles Rams general manager Les Snead joined The Rich Eisen Show fresh off a draft that included a first-round quarterback selection that surprised a chunk of the football world. Rich kicked things off with a joke about Snead being the only Auburn-bred GM willing to draft an Alabama quarterback alongside two Georgia quarterbacks. Snead's response was the catchphrase. Whatever it takes.

The core conversation was about Ty Simpson, the Alabama quarterback the Rams took 13th overall, and the algorithm behind the pick.

Snead said the work started a year earlier, when the Rams ended up with a bonus first-round pick that became the 13th overall selection. In the offseason, Matthew Stafford told the team he wanted to keep chasing special. That was task one checked. From there, Snead said, the focus was recharging the cornerback room. Free agency landed Jaylen Watson. Then the Rams rolled their original first-rounder into a trade for Trent McDuffy.

That left pick 13. Snead said the Rams considered trading down. Around picks 11 or 12, the trade-back interest dried up because of who else got picked. So the Rams stayed. The pick had to balance two pressures. Stafford is on a Hall of Fame trajectory and the team wants to maximize his runway. The Rams also need to think about the future at quarterback. Picking Simpson at 13, Snead explained, frees up future picks the team would otherwise have to set aside for an eventual quarterback need.

On Simpson the player, Snead pointed to traditional training, having grown up a coach's son and playing under Ryan Grubb this past season after Grubb's year in Seattle introduced him to pro-style concepts. Snead liked Simpson's ability to execute a passing attack. He liked the decisions, not just the throws. He liked the sneaky mobility to escape free blitzers and keep his eyes downfield. And he liked the journey, including overcoming the worst possible introduction to Alabama starting quarterback life, which is losing to Florida State.

Rich asked about Sean McVay and Simpson sharing a brain wave on football. Snead said it would be hard to thrive in the McVay ecosystem if you were not whip smart. He clarified, with a laugh, that he was not claiming Simpson could go work for NASA. But when Simpson and McVay talk football, Snead said, it sounds like physics being done at SpaceX.

On Stafford, Snead acknowledged the offseason sensitivity around contract conversations. His framing: in an age of AI, dealing with humans still requires real communication. Stafford, he said, comprehends the big picture. He has the resume. The question is just how much more they want to chase.

Snead also explained the late-round Max Klare tight end pick by walking through the math. The Rams went to 13 personnel last year. Four tight ends on the active roster meant the team could absorb a soft-tissue injury without losing the package. With one tight end down, gameday gets thin fast. A fifth tight end with real contribution upside, Snead said, is part of the evolution. He noted that day two of this draft may have set a record for tight ends selected, which tracks with the league copying what works.

On the Sean McVay relationship, Snead waved off the 24 hours of speculation. McVay is Mr. Grumpy on a Tuesday because he is trying to put another team in conflict. The two of them spend two to three hours every morning together from late February through draft week. Brothers till the end.