ESPN NFL Draft analyst Matt Miller sees Canadian quarterback Taylor Elgersma as a potential fit for NFL teams that already have a well-established veteran quarterback. Miller specifically highlighted the Los Angeles Rams and the Kansas City Chiefs as ideal landing spots for the Wilfrid Laurier University product.
“I look at a team like the Los Angeles Rams where they have Matthew Stafford. They have someone who’s the clear-cut number one, but you’re in a system that is big on teaching and developing players under Sean McVay. A Sean McVay, Kyle Shanahan system where it is predicated on space and timing is going to be what’s familiar to him. His arm talent, his arm ability is going to translate to any scheme,” Miller explained.
He further added, “The Rams are a great one. I even think the Kansas City Chiefs, that’s a spot where Andy Reid loves developing quarterbacks. You have the established veteran in Patrick Mahomes, they have established backups, two of them. Those situations are real.”
Los Angeles Rams Named Best Fit For Taylor Elgersma
Miller’s initial exposure to Elgersma came when the London, Ontario native received an invitation to the 2025 Senior Bowl. Attending the event without any preconceived notions, Miller and other talent evaluators aimed to assess Elgersma’s ability to compete alongside players from Power Four conferences.
“His deep ball power showed up, he moves the ball with really good velocity, he had good accuracy throwing down the field. I thought as a natural thrower, he stood out. I liked his aggressiveness. I liked the timing that he threw the ball with, especially as we got later in the week,” Miller noted. He continued, “Everything I saw that week from an arm talent perspective, it checks the boxes. Mobility-wise, that’s probably the biggest obstacle for him. The ability to move in the pocket, evade sacks, find passing windows. If there’s an aspect of his game that I have questions about, it would be the ability to get out of the pocket and evade pressure.”
In his evaluation, Miller utilized all-24 film provided by Wilfrid Laurier’s video coordinators, focusing on Elgersma’s fundamental quarterbacking traits rather than being overly concerned with the difference in competition level or the nuances of the Canadian game. “You go to arm strength, accuracy, decision-making, mobility, mechanics, those are things that are constant,” Miller stated. “Even if the Canadian game is very different with 12 guys, the different field, that part of it, I try not to get caught up in too much when evaluating. The X’s and O’s part of it, you almost put aside and you go to those positional values that you really care about for a quarterback.”
Subscribe to LAFB Network’s Los Angeles Rams YouTube Channel
Elgersma’s performance during the NFL Draft process, building on his Senior Bowl showing at the University at Buffalo pro day, has generated considerable positive feedback. Miller believes this positive momentum is significant, especially within a 2025 quarterback class that he characterizes as lacking some “pop” and “star power.” The intrigue surrounding a relatively unknown player can be a valuable asset.
“Everything I’ve heard has been really positive, especially in this 2025 quarterback class that lacks some pop, lacks some star power. There’s intrigue about a player that’s a little bit of an unknown and sometimes that can be a great asset to a prospect. That you haven’t been exposed to three or four or five years of us over-evaluating you,” Miller explained.
He concluded his assessment of Elgersma’s draft prospects by saying, “We’re getting to the point with Taylor, you pass the threshold for size, arm strength, experience, production. That’s going to contrast with some guys we have coming out of U.S. college football that don’t have as remarkable traits. I would say the chance of him being drafted is strong. He’s draftable, especially in this quarterback class, it lacks some depth. I definitely think he’s draftable. In my opinion, it would be in the seventh round.”
Should Elgersma go undrafted, Miller advises him to seek a situation with an established veteran quarterback where he can learn the nuances of the American game while likely spending his first year on the practice squad.
“Get somewhere where there’s an established veteran quarterback that you can learn the American game by watching. I would imagine he’s probably going to be a practice squad guy his first year so he can sit back and learn and get reps,” Miller recommended. “I would say 25 of the 32 NFL teams are going to have a situation where there is a clear-cut starter, there is a clear-cut backup. It would give you that opportunity to be a third or even fourth quarterback on a practice squad where you can take a redshirt year and really learn the game.”