The Atlanta Falcons are sitting at 3-7 and should be picking in the top 10 of the upcoming NFL Draft once again, but nope. The Dirty Birds sent their 2026 first-round pick to the Los Angeles Rams in order to trade up to No. 26 overall for James Pearce Jr. in a decision that has aged horribly over time.
If the season ended today, the Falcons would have sent the 10th overall pick to Los Angeles in order to move up for Pearce, which could drastically alter the future of both franchises. And with Matthew Stafford nearing the end of his NFL career, the Rams could capitalize with that draft pick.
Raheem Morris' group just lost Michael Penix Jr. for the season andDrake London for at least the next week, so Kirk Cousins stepping in is the worst possible news for Atlanta fans—but Rams fans know that that selection could creep into the top three or five of April's draft.
Sean McVay could cash in on Falcons' ineptitude by landing franchise QB
The 37-year-old is in his 17th NFL season, so Sean McVay will soon have to start looking at successors. However, their 8-2 record is tied for the best record in the NFC, so landing a top quarterback prospect was going to be difficult before they capitalized on Terry Fontenot's ineptitude.
Luckily, it is a strong quarterback class that could see up to five quarterbacks be selected in the first round. Indiana's Fernando Mendoza and Alabama's Ty Simpson look to be the leaders in the pack, but Dante Moore, Carson Beck, and John Mateer all have real arguments to be first-round selections.
In my opinion, Mendoza is by far the best quarterback in this class, but I can see McVay falling in love with Simpson during the pre-draft process.
However, perhaps the best fit for McVay's system is South Carolina's LaNorris Sellers, but the 20-year-old is expected to return to college for another season. Even still, the opportunity to let a younger option sit behind Stafford while working with the best offensive mind in football is too good to pass up.
Not to mention, any young QB the Rams draft will instantly be set up for success. He'll have Kyren Williams and Blake Corum to lean on in the run game and superstars Puka Nacua and Davante Adams in the receiving game. Talk about a golden opportunity for a signal-caller while adjusting to the NFL.
Even if the Rams opt not to address quarterback this offseason, they could find a way to ship this pick off to a high bidder and receive a king's ransom in return—but that's highly unlikely. When you have the opportunity to draft a franchise-altering talent at QB, you can't pass that up.