Matthew Stafford is entering his 17th season in the NFL and fifth with the Los Angeles Rams. While the team has put their faith in him to bring the Vince Lombardi trophy to Los Angeles once again, the Super Bowl LVI champion is nearing his retirement.
Stafford will be 38 at the time of Super Bowl LX. He might suit up for a few more years, but the Rams need to find a replacement sooner rather than later. The clock is ticking, and Los Angeles knows it.
Rams Predicted To Land Matthew Stafford Replacement in 2026 NFL Draft
Last season marked a down year for Stafford, who was the 22nd-best quarterback in the league, according to PFSN’s QB+ metric. However, he still supported the 11th-best offense in the league by PFSN’s Offense+ metric. That tells you everything about Sean McVay’s system and the talent around Stafford.
While Stafford’s tank isn’t empty, it surely is getting there, and if not next season, he is hanging up his cleats in a few years. The Rams have two first-round picks in the 2026 NFL Draft, and it could be a perfect opportunity to find his immediate replacement. Having extra draft capital gives them flexibility to either move up for their guy or stay put and take the best available.
PFSN analyst Joe DeLeone’s latest 2026 NFL mock draft expects the Rams to use their No. 10 pick from the Atlanta Falcons to select their next quarterback in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
He wants the Rams to acquire LaNorris Sellers out of South Carolina as their future QB. The pick comes from the trade that sent Matthew Stafford rumors swirling earlier this offseason before the Rams decided to keep their veteran signal-caller.
There’s a lot of other areas he needs to improve, but LaNorris Sellers’ sack-breaking ability is unreal pic.twitter.com/9FH02fWjyr
— James Foster (@NoFlagsFilm) June 24, 2025
“The Los Angeles Rams decided not to trade Matthew Stafford this offseason, but with him turning 38 next February, LA could find his eventual replacement in the draft,” DeLeone wrote.
“LaNorris Sellers is a raw prospect, but that makes him a perfect candidate to sit behind Stafford for a season or two. Sellers has quite literally all the tools that an NFL quarterback needs in today’s game. The South Carolina product has a great arm and elite athleticism and has already shown improvements in his ability to read coverages.”
“At 6’3″, 240 pounds, Sellers is an anomaly of a prospect and would be electric to watch in Sean McVay’s scheme.”
The size comparison alone makes Sellers intriguing. At 6-foot-3 and 240 pounds, he’s built more like a linebacker than most quarterbacks. That frame gives him the ability to take hits and extend plays with his legs, something that could work perfectly in McVay’s system that loves to get creative with quarterback movement.
Sellers’ College Career Shows Promise and Growth
A four-star recruit, Sellers was thrust into the starting role as a redshirt freshman in 2024 after Spencer Rattler made the jump to the NFL. He presided over a 1-3 record in the team’s first four SEC matchups but persisted through adversity and led the Gamecocks in a six-game winning streak to close out the regular season. The streak culminated in a gutsy last-second win over 12th-ranked rival Clemson.
That turnaround says everything about Sellers’ mental toughness. Starting 1-3 in the SEC as a redshirt freshman would break most players, but he kept grinding. The fact that he finished strong against tough competition shows he can handle pressure and learn from mistakes quickly.
I’ve quite literally purchased all LaNorris Sellers stock that I can find. Even had them check the back to make sure there wasn’t any stock left.
This might have been the play that sparked the purchase spree.
pic.twitter.com/0f9KgJsURf— J.D. PicKell (@jdpickell) May 26, 2025
Sellers completed 196 of 299 passes (65.6%) for 2,534 yards, 18 touchdowns, and just seven interceptions in 2024. On the ground, he contributed 674 rushing yards and seven additional TDs. Those rushing numbers are what separate him from traditional pocket passers. Nearly 700 rushing yards from a quarterback adds a whole different dimension to an offense.
The completion percentage is solid for a first-year starter, especially in the SEC. The touchdown-to-interception ratio of 18:7 shows good decision-making for someone learning on the fly. But it’s that dual-threat ability that makes scouts drool. In today’s NFL, having a quarterback who can hurt you with his legs changes everything about how defenses have to prepare.
Analysts have hyped up his tools as out of this world, while many consider him the QB with the highest upside in the 2026 class. If the 19-year-old can increase his production in 2025, there’s a chance the Rams may have to trade up into the top five to select him.
The age factor works in Sellers’ favor too. At just 19, he has plenty of time to develop and could realistically play 15-plus years in the NFL if he stays healthy. For a team like the Rams that’s used to win-now mode, having a young quarterback to build around for the next decade would be a nice change of pace.
The Rams’ situation is perfect for a player like Sellers. He wouldn’t be thrown into the fire immediately, giving him time to learn McVay’s complex system while watching how a veteran like Stafford handles the mental side of the game. By the time Stafford hangs it up, Sellers could be ready to take over a team that’s still built to compete.