We don't have that fifth from Tennessee; we swapped it for the latest pick that Tennessee owns in the sixth round (which would likely be ours).
Which QB should the Rams draft in the 1st Round next year?
- Thread starter RamsRock
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Easy to say but maybe hard to do. There might not be a stud tackle available in this draft. And if so he'll go early.
BPA is the way to go. And that's with maybe a slight lean towards a position of someone whom the team may not be able to re-sign. example. Clemson DT Peter Woods to eventually replace Kobie Turner, maybe?
Poll: Mendoza top vote-getter as NFL draft's QB1
In the latest poll of 25 NFL scouts and executives about who will be the first quarterback taken in the 2026 NFL draft, Indiana's Fernando Mendoza was the top vote-getter with 13, putting him ahead of Oregon's Dante Moore (6) and Alabama's Ty Simpson (3).
www.espn.in
Poll: Mendoza top vote-getter as NFL draft's QB1
In the latest poll of 25 NFL scouts and executives about who will be the first quarterback taken in the 2026 NFL draft, Indiana's Fernando Mendoza was the top vote-getter with 13, putting him ahead of Oregon's Dante Moore (6) and Alabama's Ty Simpson (3).
Poll: Mendoza top vote-getter as QB1 for upcoming NFL draft
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Pete Thamel Nov 8, 2025
ESPN repolled 25 NFL scouts and executives about who will be the first quarterback taken in the 2026 NFL draft, with the results drastically different from six weeks ago.
In the latest poll, Indiana's Fernando Mendoza was the top vote-getter with 13 votes, putting him ahead of Oregon's Dante Moore (6) and Alabama's Ty Simpson (3). Notably, none of those quarterbacks received a vote in the first poll, and all have eligibility remaining.
The other three quarterbacks receiving votes were Oklahoma's John Mateer (1), Cincinnati's Brendan Sorsby (1) and South Carolina's LaNorris Sellers (1). Only Sellers and Mateer had votes in the first poll.
"It's not a stellar class," one scout told ESPN. "If you add the maybes [who have eligibility and could leave school], now it gets interesting. The top is better than last year's class, for sure."
The top of this year's crop has flipped from Sept. 20, when seven different quarterbacks received votes, with Sellers (8) edging out LSU's Garrett Nussmeier (7). Both players and their teams have struggled this season. Others receiving votes in the first QB1 poll were Miami's Carson Beck (3), Mateer (3), Penn State's Drew Allar (2), Arizona State's Sam Leavitt (1) and Texas' Arch Manning (1).
The sentiment regarding the class has soured a bit since the initial polling. Along with the dip in play from Sellers and Nussmeier, Allar suffered a season-ending injury and Manning hasn't resembled anything close to what his family and recruiting pedigrees projected.
While Mendoza is the top vote-getter, he has yet to establish himself as a no-brainer No. 1 overall pick. He is trending that way, but there is not yet conviction behind those projections.
Mendoza transferred from Cal and has taken a leap under coach Curt Cignetti and the tutelage of offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan and quarterbacks coach Chandler Whitmer. His completion percentage is 72.3%, up from 68.7%, and he has thrown 25 touchdowns, nine more than last season at Cal. He has also rushed for four touchdowns and is averaging 9.5 yards per attempt, up from 7.8.
What do scouts like? They start with the basics of him being 6-foot-5 and 225 pounds. He idolizes Tom Brady, which is viewed as a strong North Star for a prospect.
"He has 'wow' throws and playmaking passer ability," one scout told ESPN. "He can anticipate post-snap."
Added another: "He's decisive, and he sees everything well. He's got accuracy down the field and is very tough in the pocket."
There was a play against Iowa where Mendoza hung in the pocket and got decked by a Hawkeyes linebacker while delivering a perfect ball to a receiver in tight coverage.
Moore's emergence has been sudden. He has started 13 games, including five at UCLA in 2023 before backing up Dillon Gabriel at Oregon last season. A redshirt sophomore who entered college as ESPN's No. 2 overall player, Moore is 6-3 and 206 pounds. He attempted just eight passes last season but has maximized his starting role in 2025, with 19 touchdowns, a 71.4% completion percentage and 1,772 passing yards.
Simpson didn't start a game until this season, which has led to speculation in NFL circles that he will return to college. (Quarterbacks with under 25 starts don't have a consistent track record of NFL success.) Simpson has soared onto radars with 20 touchdowns and just one interception. He has completed 67.8% of his passes and thrown for 2,184 yards.
Sorsby might be the biggest surprise. While he struggled in high-wattage spots against Nebraska and Utah, he has clearly progressed.
One scout summed him up this way: "He's big, tough, athletic and smart. He's a leader and can make off-schedule plays and change arm angles. He's got the 'It.' I think he's very gifted."
This class is likely to have good depth up top. It doesn't have a collection of elite bluechips that are going to wow teams, but it has a lot of maybe types who are in those next lower tiers, out of which maybe there's a good starter or two.
What bugs me about this class is how many of them are right around that cutoff point for height. So I think measurement day at the combine (also Senior Bowl I suppose too) looms large for them.
What bugs me about this class is how many of them are right around that cutoff point for height. So I think measurement day at the combine (also Senior Bowl I suppose too) looms large for them.
Also the mediots are going to realize Cole Payton's part of this class at some point too. He's on the Jalen Hurts side of the QB spectrum, i.e. not a guy who is throwing it all over the yard and whose run game is part of his allure, but that's not a bad thing for teams in this era. So he's going to get a lot of press once that happens.
Doubtful.
Last year North Dakota State QB Cam Miller had 33 passing TDs vs 4 INTs with 631 rushing yards with 12 rushing TDs and was hardly mentioned.
Payton is a first time starter who to date has 11 passing TDs vs 2 INTs with 640 rushing yards and 10 rushing TDs.
Miller is at that cutoff point at height at 6'1" and lacks the juice Payton has running the ball. So we'll see about that.
I genuinely think we are good at starting tackle and don't need to use a high pick on one this year. McClendon more then showed he can play in this league and we already have a stud in AJ at LT. Rather use the pick on a QB, CB, or WR myself.
I can see them deciding that they won't be able to pay Turner so they draft his replacement, but it doesn't have to be early.
Turner was a 3rd and they have Fiske, Davis, and Hamilton ready to step up more. They could replace Turner with another 3rd or even 4th.
Watching him today. He looks to have all the tools.
Poll: Mendoza top vote-getter as NFL draft's QB1
In the latest poll of 25 NFL scouts and executives about who will be the first quarterback taken in the 2026 NFL draft, Indiana's Fernando Mendoza was the top vote-getter with 13, putting him ahead of Oregon's Dante Moore (6) and Alabama's Ty Simpson (3).
Poll: Mendoza top vote-getter as QB1 for upcoming NFL draft
The volatility and unpredictability of the 2025 college football season has rippled through the group of draft-eligible quarterbacks.
Pete Thamel Nov 8, 2025
ESPN repolled 25 NFL scouts and executives about who will be the first quarterback taken in the 2026 NFL draft, with the results drastically different from six weeks ago.
In the latest poll, Indiana's Fernando Mendoza was the top vote-getter with 13 votes, putting him ahead of Oregon's Dante Moore (6) and Alabama's Ty Simpson (3). Notably, none of those quarterbacks received a vote in the first poll, and all have eligibility remaining.
The other three quarterbacks receiving votes were Oklahoma's John Mateer (1), Cincinnati's Brendan Sorsby (1) and South Carolina's LaNorris Sellers (1). Only Sellers and Mateer had votes in the first poll.
"It's not a stellar class," one scout told ESPN. "If you add the maybes [who have eligibility and could leave school], now it gets interesting. The top is better than last year's class, for sure."
The top of this year's crop has flipped from Sept. 20, when seven different quarterbacks received votes, with Sellers (8) edging out LSU's Garrett Nussmeier (7). Both players and their teams have struggled this season. Others receiving votes in the first QB1 poll were Miami's Carson Beck (3), Mateer (3), Penn State's Drew Allar (2), Arizona State's Sam Leavitt (1) and Texas' Arch Manning (1).
The sentiment regarding the class has soured a bit since the initial polling. Along with the dip in play from Sellers and Nussmeier, Allar suffered a season-ending injury and Manning hasn't resembled anything close to what his family and recruiting pedigrees projected.
While Mendoza is the top vote-getter, he has yet to establish himself as a no-brainer No. 1 overall pick. He is trending that way, but there is not yet conviction behind those projections.
Mendoza transferred from Cal and has taken a leap under coach Curt Cignetti and the tutelage of offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan and quarterbacks coach Chandler Whitmer. His completion percentage is 72.3%, up from 68.7%, and he has thrown 25 touchdowns, nine more than last season at Cal. He has also rushed for four touchdowns and is averaging 9.5 yards per attempt, up from 7.8.
What do scouts like? They start with the basics of him being 6-foot-5 and 225 pounds. He idolizes Tom Brady, which is viewed as a strong North Star for a prospect.
"He has 'wow' throws and playmaking passer ability," one scout told ESPN. "He can anticipate post-snap."
Added another: "He's decisive, and he sees everything well. He's got accuracy down the field and is very tough in the pocket."
There was a play against Iowa where Mendoza hung in the pocket and got decked by a Hawkeyes linebacker while delivering a perfect ball to a receiver in tight coverage.
Moore's emergence has been sudden. He has started 13 games, including five at UCLA in 2023 before backing up Dillon Gabriel at Oregon last season. A redshirt sophomore who entered college as ESPN's No. 2 overall player, Moore is 6-3 and 206 pounds. He attempted just eight passes last season but has maximized his starting role in 2025, with 19 touchdowns, a 71.4% completion percentage and 1,772 passing yards.
Simpson didn't start a game until this season, which has led to speculation in NFL circles that he will return to college. (Quarterbacks with under 25 starts don't have a consistent track record of NFL success.) Simpson has soared onto radars with 20 touchdowns and just one interception. He has completed 67.8% of his passes and thrown for 2,184 yards.
Sorsby might be the biggest surprise. While he struggled in high-wattage spots against Nebraska and Utah, he has clearly progressed.
One scout summed him up this way: "He's big, tough, athletic and smart. He's a leader and can make off-schedule plays and change arm angles. He's got the 'It.' I think he's very gifted."
That was just an example.
I'm BPA within reason guy, but unless the Falcons win a bunch of games or the team didn't draft a QB, I'd be shocked if McVay didn't use the Falcons selection for an offensive playmaker.
Some Rams entering final year of their contract on Draft Day 2026
(to date)
Puka Nacua
Kevin Dotson
DaVante Adams
Steve Avila
Byron Young
Kobie Turner
Warren McClendon
Davis Allen
Omar Speights (RFA)
(to date)
Puka Nacua
Kevin Dotson
DaVante Adams
Steve Avila
Byron Young
Kobie Turner
Warren McClendon
Davis Allen
Omar Speights (RFA)
Long way to go. But yes the wideout group at the top of this class are fucking legit.