Rams predicted to draft future Matthew Stafford replacement in 2026 NFL Draft

Rams predicted to draft future Matthew Stafford replacement in 2026 NFL Draft originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Los Angeles Rams have been one of the best teams in the NFL in 2025.

Entering Week 14, the team is sitting comfortable at 9-3 and in first place in the tough NFC West. Matthew Stafford has continued to be one of the best quarterbacks in the league, even as he approaches his 38th birthday.

So far in 2025, Stafford has played in all 12 games and has thrown for 3,073 yards with 32 touchdowns and only four interceptions. However, the team needs to be thinking about the future as there doesn't appear to be an obvious successor in place.

As a result, Mark Schofield of SB Nation believes the Rams could draft South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers in 2026. The Rams have the luxury of owning two first round picks thanks to a trade with the Atlanta Falcons during the 2025 draft.

In Schofield's latest mock, he has the Rams taking Sellers with the No. 29 pick.

Regarding that selection, Schofield offered the following analysis:

As for LaNorris Sellers. Talking to others in the NFL Draft media space, the opinions are all over the map on the South Carolina passer. He has some incredible highs, but some head-scratching lows. Again, if teams buy the upside you could see him in the first round (if he comes 0ut), but there will need to be a plan.

Learning from Matthew Stafford and Sean McVay seems like a solid plan.

As Schofield mentioned, Sellers has very high highs and very low lows. The quarterback was expected to take a big step forward with the Gamecocks in 2025, but that never happened.

The quarterback's numbers won't jump off the page, but he has an NFL arm and is athletic enough to make big plays on the ground.

Sellers ended the 2025 season with 2,437 passing yards, 13 touchdowns, and eight interceptions. Sellers also didn't make as many plays with his legs this year, as he ended with just 270 rushing yards after having 674 in 2024.

However, not everything can be blamed on Sellers. The Gamecocks in general struggled in 2025, and ended with a 4-8 record. The Gamecocks' offensive line also allowed a whopping 43 sacks, which was 133rd in the FBS.

Los Angeles could be the perfect landing spot for Sellers. Stafford is under contract for one more season, so Sellers could learn behind Stafford in 2026 before taking the reins in 2027.