Day 1 of the 2025 NFL Draft is in the books, and let’s just say—it didn’t go exactly how people thought it would. The Jaguars made a bold move, trading up to grab Travis Hunter. Shedeur Sanders? Still waiting for his name to be called. But what really felt familiar? Matthew Stafford’s Rams doing what they do best—skipping out on the first round.

Seriously, since 2016, they’ve only made one first-round pick, and that was Jared Verse just last year. Back in the day, they sold the farm to move up for Jared Goff. Then they shipped picks to the Patriots for Brandin Cooks, passed one to the Falcons (which turned into David Long and Taylor Rapp), flipped two more to the Jags for Jalen Ramsey, and handed the Lions a pair to land Stafford.

It’s like a “Who’s Who” of blockbuster trades—and the first round was just collateral damage. Fast forward to now, and they’re back at it again. Just when you thought the Rams would draft a QB to replace Stafford as a long-term option, Sean McVay and Co. used their brains and traded their No. 26 pick to the Falcons. In exchange?

They acquired the No. 46 and No. 242 picks in this year’s draft and a 2026 1st-round pick from the Falcons (who selected James Pearce at No. 26). Well, if we round that all up, then it’s safe to say that the Los Angeles team now has two first-rounders in the 2026 NFL draft. Long story short—the Rams didn’t select a QB this year, no problem.

But they can build a top-tier QB class next year—after all, they’re in dire need to find a replacement for Matthew Stafford. See, earlier this year, the rumor mill was buzzing that the Rams have allowed Stafford and his camp to seek new teams for a possible trade. However, both parties later agreed on terms, and, according to reports, Stafford, now 37, is operating on a one-year deal basis. All in all, the Rams trading their No. 26 pick kinda makes sense at this point.

“Had a feeling that this was a possibility that could happen tonight,” head coach, Sean McVay said at the Rams at their stationed headquarters in L.A. “[We] ended up exactly where we wanted to be and to be able to get a future one is a big deal to just move back 20 spots.” Just like that. Considering the Rams were expected to draft a quarterback in the first round, many believed that they could draft Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart.

However, looking at the fact that the teams didn’t go for Sanders early in the first round, maybe—just maybe, there was a tiny moment when we hoped that the Rams could use their No. 26 pick to draft Sanders. But here we are, and it’s safe to say that Sean McVay and Co. had different plans. They’re looking for a potential replacement for Stafford, no doubt. But not now.

Rams to decide on Matthew Stafford probably in 2026

Here’s the strategy: Trading down was already on the cards for the Rams. Why? They expected that a quarterback might slip into their range. And at that moment, the teams would be eager to trade up and draft a QB. If that happened, they’re smart enough to figure out they could trade down to get a future first-round pick. Eventually, the Giants traded one spot ahead of them and drafted Jaxson Dart.

Meanwhile, the president of football and business administration, Tony Pastoors, had already been calling around, talking to other teams. There you go. The Rams indeed got a bunch of offers, and they eventually traded with the Falcons. “There was multiple teams that wanted to come either up from later behind us in the first round and even in the second round,” Snead said. “It’s just the Falcons wanted Mr. Pearce a little more than (the other teams) wanted whomever they were coming up for.”

But what’s the reason? Because let’s be real—the Rams will pick their first player in this draft in the middle of the second round at No. 46. Well, the thing is, the evaluators projected this year’s draft class relatively flat. That means after the first 15 or so picks, the next 40-50 draft prospects have the same grades. And the Rams evaluated their draft moves similarly.

“I think the biggest thing too is there’s a lot of appreciation for let’s just say your top 100 players and there’s maybe not as big of discrepancy between those guys that are in that top 15 to those guys that are maybe in our 85-100,” McVay added. “And so I think looking at where our team is overall, the value that we were able to get to be able to move back just 20 spots, felt like it was too good to be able to pass up and we’re going to come away with some good football players tomorrow, for sure.” Long story short: the Rams entered the draft with proper homework.

The team reportedly has targets that they would like to pick at No. 46. After all, they’re already keeping an eye on the post-Matthew Stafford future of the team. That said, the Los Angeles team now has a couple of first-round picks in the 2026 NFL draft. And they’re expected to use them to build a stronger QB class.