Despite adding Jimmy Garoppolo in free agency and Stetson Bennett reportedly making strides toward returning to football, the Los Angeles Rams are being linked to quarterbacks in the draft. Field Yates of ESPN reports that the latest speculation surrounding the Rams involves their potential pursuit of Matthew Stafford‘s successor in the second round.
The Los Angeles Rams also understands that questions about whether the 36-year-old Stafford will continue playing are going to pop up at the conclusion of every season going forward. With that in mind, finding a player for the pipeline should not be entirely dismissed.
Yates: 2024 NFL draft: Latest buzz, prospect risers, mini-mocks, ESPN.com
Yates points out that the Rams have been successful in finding starters in later rounds, therefore taking a swing at the game’s most important position in the second round isn’t a case of robbing ‘Peter to pay Paul’ situation.
Some are expecting the 2024 draft to be top-heavy with quarterbacks. Nearly all draftniks are expecting the top three pickers to take QBs and some expect movement in the top 4 picks ensuring pocket-men going in1-2-3-4.
Quarterbacks Available for the Los Angeles Rams
The consensus says the top four quarterbacks are Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, Jayden Daniels, and then JJ McCarthy. The next two are Michael Penix and Bo Nix. Penix and Nix’s draft order is heavily dependent on how the top four shake out. If all four are gone by pick 5, one of these guys will go in the first round, if not both.
Regardless of how the draft falls, it’s hard to imagine that either will fall to 52. Conservatively there are eight quarterback-needy teams in the league right now and the Rams aren’t one of them.
The next two quarterbacks are Spencer Rattler of South Carolina and Tulane’s Michael Pratt. They are both graded as third-round picks. Drafting either would be seen as a stretch. Which doesn’t mean a darn thing to Les Snead and the Los Angeles Rams decision-makers. If they like one of these two they will draft them in a place that ensures that they get their guy.
This brings up a more salient point. If the Rams want to get a QB, it is entirely possible that they will do so, via a trade-up or with their first-round pick to snag one of the top-six.
