Schefter Links Rams to Bo Nix on NFL Draft Day 1 Amid Matthew Stafford Contract Buzz

The Los Angeles Rams haven't made a first-round pick since 2016, though that drought is scheduled to end on Thursday night, as the team currently holds the No. 19 overall selection.

The direction they'll go with that pick remains to be seen, though ESPN's Adam Schefter noted that if the Rams choose to pick a successor for the 36-year-old Matthew Stafford, Bo Nix is a player to watch:

"[General manager Les] Snead was a graduate assistant coach at Auburn in 1993, when the school's quarterback was Patrick Nix, Bo's father. Patrick helped lead Auburn to an 11-0 record as a sophomore that season. Snead could go from watching one Nix make a mark on a team he was associated with early in his career to another Nix trying to make a mark on his team years later."

Schefter added that quarterbacks like Nix and Michael Penix Jr. are dividing opinion. One general manager told him there was an "undercurrent of support" for both players ahead of the draft, though his team didn't give either first-round grades and saw them as second-day prospects.

Other teams will surely see things different, and Schefter noted that there has been speculation that Penix could go as high as No. 8 to the Atlanta Falcons (which would be a somewhat curious move after their offseason signing of Kirk Cousins).

As for the Rams, having a succession plan in place for Stafford makes sense, but the Rams should be in win-now mode after reaching the postseason in 2023. Using a first-round pick on a player like Nix would be bypassing the opportunity to bring in a player who could make an immediate impact and would probably be met with some frustration from fans.