Los Angeles Rams general manager got an early head start on scouting potential quarterback of the future this offseason
The Los Angeles Rams settled their present this offseason by settling on a new deal for quarterback Matthew Stafford, but that move left their future at the most important position in football in question. Despite numerous reports trying to link them to a quarterback in the 2025 NFL Draft, the Rams never took the rather […]
The Los Angeles Rams settled their present this offseason by settling on a new deal for quarterback Matthew Stafford, but that move left their future at the most important position in football in question.
Despite numerous reports trying to link them to a quarterback in the 2025 NFL Draft, the Rams never took the rather weak crop seriously. In McVay's own words right before the draft, he hadn't "done a whole lot of work on the quarterbacks" and called an addition in the draft "unlikely".
However, after their move to acquire a second first-round pick in the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft, many have immediately linked the Rams to a quarterback this year, especially in a class that is shaping up to be chock-full of talented prospects.
Rams general manager Les Snead might have already gotten a head start on scouting out the Rams' future franchise quarterback this summer.
At SEC Media Days, Oklahoma Sooners quarterback John Mateer let it slip that Les Snead was there to watch and meet with the crop of quarterbacks at the Manning Passing Academy last month. Les Snead met with each of these quarterbacks alongside Peyton & Eli Manning and former NFL head coach Jon Gruden.
"We got to sit in — the best thing about the whole camp, other than having fun with the kids and building relationships, was about an hour to an hour 15 minutes we got to spend in the room with Peyton and Eli and Jon Gruden and the Rams GM just giving us goals as young quarterbacks."
The Manning Passing Academy boasted a veritable array of NFL-caliber talent this season, with counselors assembled by bringing in the best quarterbacks from college football.
Here is the full list of counselors at the camp (in alphabetical order):
- Drew Allar, Penn State
- Luke Altmyer, Illinois
- Rocco Becht, Iowa State
- Taylen Green, Arkansas
- Mark Gronowski, Iowa
- Walker Howard, Louisiana
- Kevin Jennings, SMU
- Avery Johnson, Kansas State
- Cade Klubnik, Clemson
- Sam Leavitt, Arizona State
- Gio Lopez, North Carolina
- Arch Manning, Texas
- John Mateer, Oklahoma
- Fernando Mendoza, Indiana
- Darian Mensah, Duke
- Behren Morton, Texas Tech
- Miller Moss, Louisville
- Chandler Morris, Virginia
- Austin Novosad, Oregon
- Garrett Nussmeier, LSU
- Sawyer Robertson, Baylor
- LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina
- Blake Shapen, Mississippi State
- Austin Simmons, Ole Miss
- Ty Simpson, Alabama
- Gunner Stockton, Georgia
- Demond Williams Jr., Washington
The obvious headliners are Arch Manning, Cade Klubnik, and LaNorris Sellers, who are all projected to be top-ten picks in next year's draft.
However, keep an eye on Indiana's Fernando Mendoza here, who checks off a lot of the Rams' boxes at the position and is primed for a breakout season leading the Hoosiers' offense this season.
It feels pretty likely that one of these names will be the Rams' signal-caller of the future after the 2026 NFL Draft.
