If you pause and ponder the Los Angeles Rams position in the 2026 NFL Draft, you may realize that the Rams have never had it so good since pairing GM Les Snead with HC Sean McVay in 2017. The Rams are projected to hold 10 picks in the 2026 NFL Draft, and two of those picks fall in Round 1. That's right, the Rams have four picks to their credit in the first two days of the 2026 NFL Draft.
But let's stick a pin in that thought for a moment. We'll come back to it. I want to visit how Rams starting quarterback Matthew Stafford has a huge role in determining his successor. And it is not about tanking, or even getting injured. Rams fans merely need Stafford to do what he does best: Win games late in the season.
When the 2025 Rams schedule became official, we had plenty of peaks, instant reactions, and imposing challenges to share. But perhaps the greatest immediate reaction was a huge sigh of relief because the team landed a vital BYE week after jetting across the pond to face the Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley Stadium in England.
But there was more to be excited about. You see, in Week 17 of the 2025 Rams schedule, the team faces the Atlanta Falcons. If you recall, the Falcons traded their Round 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft to pry the Rams Round 1 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. And now, it's time to collect that final installment payment.
And Matthew Stafford will pilot the offense in Week 17 to ensure that happens.
Regular Season Games
It's not easy to win on the road. And that is especially difficult for a West Coast team playing on the East Coast. Time zone differences convert 1:00 pm local start times to 10:00 am virtual start times for players who lose three hours by trekking to their football game destination.
- Week 1 - Houston Texans at Los Angeles Rams
- Week 2 - Los Angeles Rams at Tennessee Titans
- Week 3 - Los Angeles Rams at Philadelphia Eagles
- Week 4 - Indianapolis Colts at Los Angeles Rams
- Week 5 - San Francisco 49ers at Los Angeles Rams (TNF)
- Week 6 - Los Angeles Rams at Baltimore Ravens
- Week 7 - Los Angeles Rams @ Jacksonville Jaguars (@ Wembley Stadium)
- Week 8 - BYE
- Week 9 - New Orleans Saints at Los Angeles Rams
- Week 10 - Los Angeles Rams at San Francisco 49ers
- Week 11 - Seattle Seahawks at Los Angeles Rams
- Week 12 - Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Los Angeles Rams (SNF)
- Week 13 - Los Angeles Rams at Carolina Panthers
- Week 14 - Los Angeles Rams at Arizona Cardinals
- Week 15 - Detroit Lions at Los Angeles Rams
- Week 16 - Los Angeles Rams at Seattle Seahawks (TNF)
- Week 17 - Los Angeles Rams at Atlanta Falcons (MNF)
- Week 18 - Arizona Cardinals at Los Angeles Rams
The Rams get four games at the East Coast, and one game in England. That type of schedule will screw with a professional athlete's normal circadian rhythm. That is, the daily sleep and wake periods.
Thankfully, the Rams at the Atlanta Falcons is currently slated for a Monday Night Football game. Rather than the 8:15 pm ET kickoff time, the Rams players will feel as though the game is being played at a far more reasonable 5:15 pm PT kickoff. And that's bodes well for the already incentivized Rams team on the road playing for playoff positioning.
Stafford is the guy you want in that position
Regardless of the Rams record in Week 17 of the 2025 NFL season, Matthew Stafford is the quarterback that the team and fans want under center in that situation. Why? Because he is rock solid. Because he knows this offense, and adds that new dimension of improvisation that makes it so much more dangerous. But most importantly, because he is one of the most competitive persons on the planet.
He returned to a football game to throw a game winning TD, despite a separated shoulder. It was one of the grittiest plays in all of NFL history. While no Rams fan wants a repeat of that epic historical moment, it puts the pure competitiveness of Rams QB Matthew Stafford on full display.
It's no coincidence that even after stumbling out of the gate in each of the past two seasons, the Rams have roared back to life. They did so in 2023 by winning seven of their last eight games. They did so in 2024 by winning nine of their final 12 games. In both seasons, Stafford's competitive fire would not allow the Rams to roll over and play dead.
And you can bet the Rams will play to win in Week 17 of the 2025 NFL season.
Not quite for all the marbles, but close enough
Okay, so now back to the Rams draft picks in the 2026 NFL Draft. The Rams are currently projected to have 10 picks in the 2026 NFL Draft. Several due to previous trades. One compensatory pick is anticipated to be awarded to the Rams due to the San Francisco 49ers signing WR Demarcus Robinson. The Rams current projected picks are:
- Round 1 (via Atlanta Falcons)
- Round 1
- Round 2
- Round 3
- Round 5 (via Tennessee Titans)
- Round 5
- Round 6 (via Houston Texans)
- Round 6
- Round 7 (via Baltimore Ravens)
- Round 7 (comp pick via Demarcus Robinson)
* Round 4 pick was traded to the Indianapolis Colts
So now let's run down how Matthew Stafford can impact the Rams opportunity to draft his successor. It all hinges on that Week 17 showdown with the Atlanta Falcons. You see, the Atlanta Falcons finished the 2024 NFL season with a record of 8-9, and as a result, held the 15th overall pick in Round 1 of the 2025 NFL Draft. But had the Falcons finished with a record of 7-10, as did the Dallas Cowboys, they would have held the 12th overall pick in the same draft.
The difference between the two picks is significant.
Picks in Round 1 inflated considerably by falling earlier in the Round. The New York Jets finished 2024 with only five wins, and managed to draft as early as the seventh overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. So the more games teams lose,t he more valuable their draft picks in the following season. For the Rams, there is little chance that the team would even contemplate tanking to land an early draft pick.
But this team has every incentive in the world to put a beat down on the Falcons to pry a valuable Round 1 pick from them.
It's unlikely that the Rams, even armed with two Round 1 picks in the 2026 NFL Draft, can pull off a trade to land the top quarterback selected in the draft. But with multiple intriguing quarterbacks up for grabs, the Rams have plenty of options. And you can bet that the scouting department is already working hard to determine the best possible fit.
The Rams can improve their draft position by winning in Week 17. That almost never happens in the NFL. But I'm thrilled that at a make-or-break point at finding a successor, Matthew Stafford's competitive spirit can be the difference maker.
As always, thanks for reading.
