2025 NFL Draft: Mel Kiper Makes Bold Call For Rams

Mel Kiper made subtle implications three weeks ago. On Tuesday, though, he was clear: Jaxson Dart is an excellent first-round fit in the Rams’ offense.

ESPN’s top draft analyst since 1984, Kiper in his latest mock draft has the Rams taking the Ole Miss quarterback with the 26th overall selection. Kiper loves the pick because of its potential and Sean McVay’s ability to develop Dart into a legitimate replacement for Matthew Stafford.

“But he's 37 years old,” Kiper wrote Tuesday, referring to Stafford, “and the Rams have to make plans for 2026 and beyond. Dart can hit receivers' strike zones on a rope, and his ability to throw on the run is fun to watch.”

The Rams’ ability to draft well in the first round is critical because they don’t have a second-round pick. Barring trades, Dart would be their only selection over the first 89 picks. They aren’t scheduled to draft again until No. 90 in the third round.

Dart passed for 29 touchdowns and 4,279 yards in Lane Kiffin’s Ole Miss system last year. He spent his 2021 freshman season with the USC Trojans, who had Drake London, then transferred to start his final three seasons for the Rebels. So, getting drafted by the Rams is obviously a return to the West Coast.

“Given a season to learn under Stafford and transition to the NFL game after playing in Lane Kiffin's RPO-happy offense, Dart has a high ceiling in the pros.”

Kiper had a high ceiling on Dart’s draft position last month – No. 9 to the Saints, who haven’t taken a quarterback in the first round since Archie Manning in 1971.

On Tuesday, Kiper had Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders falling to that New Orleans selection, meaning Dart – widely considered the third-best quarterback behind Cam Ward and Sanders in a shallow draft -- would slide all the way to the Rams at 26.

“You go back to Ole Miss with Jaxson Dart. So, connect the dots there. Two Ole Miss quarterbacks, Archie Manning and Jaxson Dart, end up with the Saints,” Kiper said last month. “So, I think if Kellen Moore loves Jaxson Dart, you got to take him.

“I don't feel the need to trade down. I'm not going to lose my quarterback. Maybe a couple spots, but be careful because there's the Rams sitting out there who I thought about Jaxson Dart for in the 20s, but I have him at 9 to the New Orleans Saints.”

Both Dart and wide receiver Puka Nacua grew up in Utah although they didn’t compete on the same field in football.

The last time the Rams took a quarterback in the first round was Jared Goff at No. 1 overall in 2016, the year before McVay arrived in Los Angeles.