NFL Mock Draft: Could Rams Pick Future Matthew Stafford Replacement?

With Matthew Stafford's advancing age, is it time for the Los Angeles Rams to draft the quarterback of the future?

The Los Angeles Rams have the 19th overall pick in the upcoming NFL Draft, and one scenario sees them taking a quarterback to sit behind and learn from Matthew Stafford.

In his first mock draft of the year, NFL.com's Bucky Brooks predicts the Rams to use their first-round pick to pick Oregon's Bo Nix as their quarterback of the future.

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Brooks thinks that it is time for the Rams to start thinking about replacing their veteran quarterback, as Stafford will turn 36 years old in just a few weeks. 

In the scenario, Nix would sit and learn the ins and outs of the league in the next few seasons before Stafford retires, much like the situation with Jordan Love and Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay.

"As Matthew Stafford heads toward his age-36 season, the Rams could target his eventual replacement early in the 2024 draft," Brooks writes. "Nix’s experience and maturity fit a locker room that takes a business-like approach to preparation."

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This season with Oregon, Nix was one of the top quarterbacks in the country, passing for 4,508 yards and 45 touchdowns with just three interceptions and a 91.2 quarterback rating, earning a trip to New York as a Heisman finalist along the way. 

Nix would eventually finish third in the Heisman voting behind Washington's Michael Penix Jr. and LSU's Jayden Daniels, who would go on to win the award. 

This will be the first time the Rams have had a first-round pick since the 2016 NFL Draft, when they selected Jared Goff with the No. 1 overall selection.

And if Nix is available when the Rams are on the clock, they could very well elect to go the route of quarterback yet again.