3 Potential Successors to Rams' Matthew Stafford

The three top names are Texas' Arch Manning, Penn State's Drew Allar, and LSU's Garrett Nussmeier.

Pro Football Focus' Max Chadwick wrote evaluations for each passer, starting with Manning. Manning is Chadwick's fourth best prospect in college football.

"Manning’s placement on this list was easily the hardest to figure out, wrote Chadwick. "Even though he’s only started two games in his career against bad competition (Louisiana-Monroe and Mississippi State), the rising redshirt sophomore is still the betting favorite to take home the Heisman Trophy."

"His 88.1 PFF grade was 13th among FBS quarterbacks who played at least 200 snaps and he was 16th in both big-time throw rate (6.4%) and turnover-worthy play rate (1.9%) as well. Arch is a much better athlete than either of his legendary uncles in Peyton and Eli, rushing for four touchdowns on just 21 attempts last year, including a 67-yarder."

While he has the gifts, he doesn't have the film and with most expecting his to return to school after the 2026 season, it doesn't look like he'll be a Ram anytime soon.

Next is Allar, Chadwick's 17th ranked prospect.

"While his performance in the final game of the season was rough (36.6 passing grade), Allar quieted many critics by quarterbacking the Nittany Lions to the College Football Playoff semifinals this past season. He finished as the nation’s sixth-most valuable signal-caller in the process, according to our wins above average metric. His 21 big-time throws were a top-20 mark in America, while his 2.1% turnover-worthy play rate was 21st."

"He showed off his rifle right arm far more as a junior, increasing his average depth of target by over a yard. There are still some things to clean up in terms of his footwork and accuracy and plenty of questions surrounding Penn State’s wide receiver room, but Allar will enter his senior season as one of the top quarterback prospects in the 2026 NFL Draft. With a loaded roster surrounding him, he has the potential to take the Nittany Lions on an even deeper run next year."

Allar has all of the gifts with none of the playmaking ability. He's a great player until a team needs him. There is a reason why Sean McVay traded Jared Goff and two first round picks for Stafford. Goff had an arm but Stafford has that it factor that Allar has yet to find.

Nussmeier looks to become the third LSU Heisman winning quarterback in the last six years. He's 18th on Chadwick's board.

"After sitting on the bench for three years, Nussmeier finally received his chance to start for the Tigers as a redshirt junior. He extended the flashes of brilliance he had as a backup over a full season and finished the year with the fifth-most passing yards in the nation (4,043) and tied for seventh in big-time throws (26)."

"Nussmeier is still a bit of a gunslinger, as his 18 turnover-worthy plays were among the 20 most in the nation. He also adds virtually nothing as a runner, as his 93 rushing yards in 2024 were easily the fewest of anyone on this list. Nonetheless, he’s still a tough quarterback who’s fearless in the pocket and is capable of making almost any throw on the field."

Nussmeier has a questionable arm and decision making skills. That might be enough for McVay to walk away.