11. Los Angeles Rams - Ty Simpson, QB, Alabama
I feel like this would be an ideal situation for the Los Angeles Rams, as Matthew Stafford is getting older and isn’t going to be playing for much longer. Heck, he could be set to regress big-time in 2026. Even if Stafford might want to play another three years or so, his body could have other ideas.
Anyway, with how well-built the LA Rams are and how many young draft picks they have hit on, the front office, led by GM Les Snead, has to get the ball rolling on a potential long-term QB solution after Matthew Stafford.
Good teams in the NFL are proactive and are able to stay ahead of the game like this. Back in the 2017 NFL Draft, the Kansas City Chiefs traded up for Patrick Mahomes, redshirted him during his rookie season, still made the playoffs with Alex Smith, but moved on the following offseason.
And look at where that has gotten them.
The Rams have to try something similar, so grabbing Ty Simpson would be a wise idea. He’s obviously not going to play immediately, but the long-term payoff could be flat-out massive.
12. Arizona Cardinals - Makai Lemon, WR, USC
The Arizona Cardinals might have a major move up their sleeve later on in the first round of our latest mock draft. The Cardinals are now 3-5 on the season and seem to have done one of those ‘soft benching’ things with Kyler Murray, and there are now reports out there that the Cards could move on from Murray next offseason.
That would not be a bad idea. Kyler Murray is a good QB at times, but he’s nothing special, and it seems like his time with the franchise is up. There are some teams that could with with Murray, but that’s about it. No team is going to win a Super Bowl with the dual-threat passer.
To begin building for the new era (hint, hint), the Cardinals grab Makai Lemon from USC and bring another much-needed piece onto this offense for years to come. Cardinals’ GM Monti Ossenfort has to get this next stage of his tenure right, or he’ll likely be out of a job in the coming years.