These LA Rams draft day trades could help them land QB Ty Simpson

The Los Angeles Rams have an interesting offseason ahead of them. During his NFL MVP acceptance speech, Matthew Stafford said he would be returning for his 18th season. That eliminated one problem, but also pushed back another. The Rams still need to find his replacement and something tells me they’re not prepared to go from Stafford to Stetson Bennett.

The most convenient thing to do is to land Stafford’s replacement in the NFL Draft. Ty Simpson is the most popular candidate to go after, but he won’t be easy to land. They could take a chance on him at No. 13, but with improvements needed on the offensive line, receiver room and the secondary, it’s not worth taking that gamble that high.

So with a second, first-round pick the Rams need to get creative to move up from the 29th pick if they want to land Simpson.

Possible NFL Draft day trades for the LA Rams to land Ty Simpson

Los Angeles Rams, Ty Simpson — Alabama's Ty Simpson | SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

1. Swap with the Pittsburgh Steelers with an aggressive move

The Rams are going to have to be really aggressive if they want to swap with the Pittsburgh Steelers. If Tanner McKee is on the table for Pittsburgh, then they’ll absolutely draft Ty Simpson with the No. 21 pick. The Rams could offer up their 29th pick and more draft compensation to force the Steelers to come off that pick. It’s not likely, but it could happen. The Rams don’t really have players worth adding to the deal for Pittsburgh, so their best chance is offering a lot of draft compensation.

2. Keep the New York Jets from drafting a quarterback in the first round

The New York Jets could still go quarterback in the first round, even though Dante Moore decided to go back to Oregon. With the No. 16 pick, the Jets could be interested enough to land Simpson. This is an intriguing point because the Jets could do this move to avoid the Steelers and Rams possibly landing Simpson and he performs well. Per Cody Williams’ Mock Draft on FanSided.com, the Jets go after Makai Lemon.

If Lemon is their plan, they could realistically take a draft haul from the Rams to get the 29th pick and then use that pick to move back up ahead of the 27th pick, where Williams mocks the next receiver to be taken (Denzel Boston to San Francisco).

3. Trade with the Detroit Lions and hope the New York Jets don’t go quarterback in the first round

The Detroit Lions are mocked to go offensive line, per Williams. The next offensive lineman isn’t projected to get off the board until the Los Angeles Chargers with the No. 22 pick. If the Rams swap with Detroit, that would move them up from the No. 29 pick to the No. 17. This still puts them in front of the Steelers, which is probably their biggest competitor for Simpson. The Jets could still go after Simspon, though I think they’ll only use a first-round pick on a quarterback with more potential.

Why the Los Angeles Rams should target Ty Simpson in this year’s NFL Draft

Ty Simpson has a lot of potential, he just isn’t ready to start Day 1. That’s why LA should use their additional first-round pick to land Simpson. As good as he is, he could benefit from learning from Stafford for a season. Considering Stafford won his first league MVP this year and already has a Super Bowl win to his name, it’s the perfect scenario for Simpson to walk into.

Insert the fact that Sean McVay has a way with quarterbacks, it just makes too much sense. The Rams should be aggressive in landing a quarterback in this draft as well because next year’s draft is crowded with quarterback talent and plenty of teams looking for their franchise guy. Stealing Simpson now gets Stafford’s replacement ahead of the game.

The Rams have to start thinking about what they’re going to do once Stafford does call it a career. Stetson Bennett isn’t the answer, but Simpson could be. Drafting him now and avoiding the situation the Pittsburgh Steelers are in with signing bridge quarterback after bridge quarterback, is a win-win scenario. It takes the pressure off a rookie to be ready by Week 1, while also addressing an important need before it becomes dire.