Mel Kiper projects a 3rd QB taken in Round 1 of latest NFL Draft at 26th pick

The Los Angeles Rams may appear to be in a win-now mindset, but per ESPN's NFL Draft guru Mel Kiper, it all appears to be a facade. In his latest two-round mock draft, Kiper projects what many Rams fans do not want the team to do: Draft a rookie quarterback. When it happens, OT Josh Simmons, CB Maxwell Hairston, QB Tyler Shough, and WR Emeka Egbuka are still on the board.

No trades. No offers. The Rams outright select a quarterback who, in the best of times, will sit on the bench for a year behind veterans Matthew Stafford and Jimmy Garoppolo. In the worst of times, he could be forced into action by injuries. As such, he instantly becomes the rookie that no Rams fan wants to see spring into action in 2025 after the preseason.

Kiper is not the first ESPN mock draft author to project Mississippi rookie QB Jaxson Dart to the Rams at the 26th overall pick. Mike Tannenbaum did so in March 2025. At the time, we dissected the scenario with pros and cons, leaving the final decision to approve or disapprove of the move to you, the reader. But Kiper brings an entirely new level of authority to the Round 1 mock draft.

It's not that Kiper, or anyone for that matter, at ESPN is particularly keyed in as to what the Rams might do in the 2025 NFL Draft. But more and more draft analysts are reading the signs of a team executing a series of one-year deals with veteran QB Matthew Stafford, and no true success for hi on the roster.

Jaxson Dart fits that role of future franchise quarterback for the Rams very well.

Kiper's endorsement of Dart is like poetry, having evaluated rookie quarterback prospects for years and years. And he sees an ideal marriage of Dart's NFL potential with the Rams ability to develop quarterbacks' optimal potential:

"I love this pick because of the potential. Rams coach Sean McVay could develop Dart into a legit future starter. Of course, I say -future- because Matthew Stafford()s contract restructure keeps him in Los Angeles for at least another season. But he's 37 years old, and the Rams have to make plans for 2026 and beyond. Dart can hit receivers() strike zones on a rope, and his ability to throw on the run is fun to watch. He had 4,279 passing yards, 29 TD throws, and six interceptions last season. And this pick would bring him back to the West Coast -- Dart spent 2021 at USC before transferring to Ole Miss.

Given a season to learn under Stafford and transition to the NFL game after playing in Lane Kiffin()s RPO-happy offense, Dart has a high ceiling in the pros.
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ESPN Mel Kiper

And we can see it. We sorted through three rookie quarterback prospects to determine who might be the best suited to join the Rams. But in that assessment, we saw Dart as too valuable to select, anticipating a solid trade package of a quarterback-needy team like the New York Giants or Cleveland Browns to trade back into Round 1 to grab him. That would place the Rams on the board early in Round 2, plus loaded with additional picks.

I suspect the Rams front office would be quite happy to trade back.

I suspect that ESPN's draft guru, Mel Kiper, has the what correct. I'm simply uncertain if the who fits what I expect to happen. If Jaxson Dart does fall to the 26th overall pick, he could certainly hear his name called out. I'm just not convinced that it will be the Los Angeles Rams who are doing so.

If Rams legendary QB Jim Everett can foresee the Rams trading back at 26, it is certainly a plausible scenario. And Kiper's latest mock draft appears to create an ideal set of circumstances for that trade-back scenario to take place.

As always, thanks for reading.

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