What Nick Saban said about Rams' decision to draft Ty Simpson

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Former Alabama football coach Nick Saban had one word to describe the Los Angeles Rams’ selection of quarterback Ty Simpson with the 13th overall in the 2026 NFL Draft.

“Perfect,” Saban said.

It was the first word out of the legendary coach’s mouth on Thursday from the set of ABC’s NFL draft broadcast in Pittsburgh, where Saban served as an analyst for the third year in a row, and it was a word Saban would use again in a subsequent appearance on SportsCenter with ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt.

Saban said on ABC’s broadcast:

“This is the kind of player, the kind of person that you want in your organization. He’s a good leader. He’s a hard worker. He’s got great ability. He’s got a quick, smooth release. He’s got a strong arm arm. He’s accurate, he can throw the ball in short windows. So, I really like Ty.”

Simpson became a first-round pick despite starting only 15 games in college. He threw for 3,567 yards and 28 touchdowns to five interceptions last season. Simpson won the starting job in the spring of 2025 and guided Alabama to a 10-2 regular season, which tied for the best mark in the SEC.

Simpson lost two of his final three starts. Georgia won a rematch against the Crimson Tide, 28-7, in the SEC Championship Game on Dec. 6 in Atlanta. Simpson was held to 212 yards and completed 19 of 39 passes.

He threw for 232 yards and two touchdowns in Alabama’s first-round College Football Playoff win at Oklahoma on Dec. 19, and he was held to 67 yards in the Tide’s 38-3 loss to national champion Indiana at the Rose Bowl.

Saban believes Simpson’s best football is still ahead of him.

“I think the fact that he only played (15) games, his best football is ahead of him, and he’s getting in the best situation he can be in going to an organization that has a veteran quarterback. He will not have to play immediately and will have a chance to develop. This is perfect.”

Saban later told Van Pelt:

“I think it’s a perfect scenario for (Simpson)… to be able to play behind Matthew Stafford for a few years. Only had 15 starts as a college player. He looked phenomenal at times, especially early in the season this past year. Didn’t maintain the consistency toward the end of the year, but I think he showed everybody that he has a talent to be a very good player. I just think he needs to mature a little bit as a quarterback, which means get more reps. Get more experience, and then I think he’ll be a very, very good player.

“This is a perfect situation for him to get into, though, where he doesn’t have to play; where he’s going to be able to take some time to develop. And I think it’s going to work out perfectly for him.”

Saban was asked if he’d had a conversation about Simpson on the difference between playing on Sundays instead of Saturdays. He told Van Pelt:

“We visited quite a bit about all of this, and what I’ve always told all of our players at Alabama is, it’s not where you get picked in the draft. It’s taking advantage of the opportunity that you get. So, getting drafted is not the end. It’s just the beginning of a new career, and you’ve got to be able to focus on the things you need to do to have a great career. And Ty is just the kind of person that’s going to do just that.”

Watch Saban’s initial reaction to Simpson being drafted below.

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This article originally appeared on Roll Tide Wire: Ty Simpson pick by LA Rams is ‘perfect,’ Nick Saban says

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