What will the Rams do with Sean Mannion?

The St. Louis Rams made it a priority to change the identity of the Rams offense in the offseason. They went from having a former number one overall pick in Sam Bradford, second year quarterback Austin Davis, and Journeyman Shaun Hill.

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They now have young gun Nick Foles, veteran Case Keenum and rookie Sean Mannion. The Rams still have Davis on the roster, but I project that will soon change.

So, what does this mean for rookie Mannion? The Rams used their second third round pick on Mannion who played his college ball at Oregon State and had a very nice career under center.

For his career, Mannion started 43 games, completing 1,187 of 1,838 passes for 13,600 yards, 83 touchdowns and 54 interceptions.

Mannion had an exceptional Junior season but fell off in his senior year.

As a senior, Mannion mustered up just five 300 yard games, none of which were against great football teams. I picked out three games Mannion played as a senior against quality football programs in the Pac 12. Oregon, USC and Stanford.

Against USC, Mannion competed 15 of his 32 passes for 123 yards, zero touchdowns and two interceptions.

Against Stanford, he completed 14 of his 30 passes for 122 yards, zero touchdowns and zero interceptions.

And in the season finale against Oregon, Mannion completed 19 of 39 for 162 yards, and one touchdown.

Here is Mannion’s tape against Stanford. Watch closely.

The main thing I see is the inability to make good throws under pressure. And as far as the Rams go, the NFC West might be the worst division to play in if you struggle against the rush. Mannion could also work on his accuracy but that is something the NFL will help improve.

In his junior year, Mannion was magnificent. Mannion had nine 300 yard games and completed a very high percentage of his passes but he wasn’t the same player this past season.

Now why do we see the big slip off from one year to the next? Well, a guy named Brandin Cooks might be a big part of it. If you aren’t familiar with Cooks, well, here you go.

Don’t let his 128.3 passer rating fool you for his senior year. Mannion did not perform against top talent. So where does that leave him now?

Mannion was the fourth selected quarterback in this years draft and has drawn comparisons to Matt Schaub. Not too shabby, but lets face it, a Schaub-like player isn’t winning you any super bowls.

Jeff Fisher has never had a pocket passer who has thrown for a ton of yards. It’s just not how he does business. Fisher loves to pound the rock. And the Rams made that very clear when they selected Todd Gurley with their first round pick. So again, where does Mannion fit in all of this?

Foles is the Rams’ starter in week one. There is no debating that. Mannion will compete with Keenum for a backup spot which I do not think he will get but it’s too early to etch anything in stone. Mannion is a project just like every other quarterback selected in this years draft outside of Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota. But, I just don’t see the scheme fit with Mannion.

Rams fans love to throw around the phrase scheme fit. “this guy is a scheme fit.” This player is going to be a great scheme fit for us.” So on so forth. But this is not a scheme fit in my opinion. I don’t expect Mannion to ever start for the Rams as long as Foles is healthy. Mannion will likely be traded in 2-3 years for a 6th round pick and that will be the end of it.

What is the point of drafting a quarterback that has experience in a NFL type offense rather than a college offense when you plan to sit him on your bench and let him watch. You’re just allowing quarterbacks like Bryce Petty and Brett Hundley to sit and learn just like Mannion will. So in the end, Mannion’s so-called leg-up on Petty and Hundley will be irrelevant.

The one thing Mannion has going for him is this. He has good size, can sit in the pocket and deliver a decent pass and will likely have a solid NFL career as a journeyman. What it would take for Mannion to succeed is a Dallas Cowboys offensive line and an Atlanta Falcons receiving core. Easier said than done.

It will be interesting to see how it plays out in the next couple of years, but as far as Mannion as a Ram? Not so sure about that one.