Dan Orlovsky says Rams’ pick of Ty Simpson ‘what well-run organizations do’
Published:
Dan Orlovsky preached ahead of the opening round of the 2026 NFL Draft that Ty Simpson was a first-round talent at quarterback. The Los Angeles Rams agreed, and they selected Simpson 13th overall on Thursday night.
That selection stunned some. Not Orlovsky, who called it “good business” during an appearance on ESPN’s First Take on Friday.
“Good organizations are always living in the now and in the future,” Orlovsky said. “More often than not, the organizations that are drafting [a quarterback] when they want rather than (when) they need to, long-term, win out.”
Orlovsky cited Baltimore’s use of a first-round pick on Lamar Jackson in 2018 and Green Bay’s use of a first-round pick on Jordan Love in 2020 as two examples of organizations being thoughtful with their quarterback succession plans.
Jackson replaced Joe Flacco and became a perennial MVP candidate. Love sat behind Aaron Rodgers before leading Green Bay to the playoffs in each of his first 3 seasons as a starter.
“I think this young man’s a really good player,” Orlovsky said of the former Alabama starter. “He gets to go to a place that, organizationally, top to bottom, (is) well-run. He gets to go to a coach that is as good as anybody in football. And he learns behind a future first-ballot Hall-of-Famer.
“This isn’t about the now for them. This is about the future. This is what well-run organizations do.”
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
