ESPN's latest mock draft will have Rams fans calling for a parade

11-3 Los Angeles Rams general manager Les Snead is looking more like a genius each week. While the Rams solidify themselves as championship contenders, the Atlanta Falcons continue to fall toward the bottom of the league standings. There's a real chance that Los Angeles could win the Super Bowl and pick in the top ten of the 2026 NFL Draft.

As if that's not good enough already, ESPN analyst Field Yates has the Rams making two excellent picks in the first round of his latest mock draft.

If the Rams pull this off, fans will be ecstatic.

Rams make two perfect picks in ESPN's latest 2026 mock draft

Some of the best general managers in the NFL operate by a seemingly obvious drafting rule: Let everyone else draft based on positional need, and take the best player on the board when they fall to you. Yates has the Rams absolutely acing that principle in his mock draft.

First, he has LA using the ninth pick in the draft to select Ohio State safety Caleb Downs. The Rams don't necessarily have a pressing need at safety, especially if they re-sign Kam Curl, but Downs is one of the best prospects in this class. As Yates points out, "Downs is a versatile, tone-setting defender who has the chance to be the first safety picked in the top 10 since Jamal Adams went No. 6 to the Jets in 2017."

Later in the draft, Yates pairs Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson with the Rams at pick 29. Simpson has dropped down draft boards a bit after his hot start to the season cooled off, but he still has the tools to be a quality starter in the NFL. The young QB has a good arm and impressive mobility. In his first year as a starter, he's shown better processing ability than most prospects with his level of experience.

Yates laid out the vision for the pick, saying,

"Since Matthew Stafford is still playing at an MVP level and under contract next season, the Rams would likely not need Simpson to play at all in 2026. That would give him time to develop -- and there's perhaps no better quarterback tutor in the game than coach Sean McVay."

The Rams have already built one of the league's strongest rosters. If they turn this mock draft into reality, their dominant season could quickly turn into a dynasty.