Why LA Rams trade for Stafford may force team to draft QB

We know that the LA Rams made a blockbuster trade to exchange QB Jared Goff and three valuable NFL draft picks for Detroit Lions veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford. But what is not known is how has that changed the LA Rams draft strategy?

Or at least it should have. You see, the Rams now have aged significantly at the quarterback position, have shaved two years of the length of the contract for a starting quarterback, and have just one pocket passer in the quarterback room to three mobile quarterbacks. While that may seem fine if the Rams were committed to a playbook featuring a dual-threat quarterback, the proof is in the pudding.

When the Rams were in a position to put it all on the line and mortgage the next several drafts for a quarterback who they believed can win a Super Bowl, they did not go after a mobile quarterback. Instead, they doubled down on a traditional pocket passer. And they are right to do so.

But the makeup of the roster right now is a bit skewed. The Rams overloaded the roster with dual-threat quarterbacks to both add competition to the quarterback position if Goff remained with the team, and to sort out the best of the mobile quarterbacks to use in either a primary or backup role in 2021.  I don’t want to be the first person to share this message, but the moment that the Rams traded Goff, a third-round, and two first-round picks for Matthew Stafford, the quarterback competition that never was officially ended.

Succession plan

Stafford is the Rams’ starter. Now he needs a successor. While you may argue that the Rams already have one, John Wolford’s contract expires in 2022, a year before Stafford’s contract expires. Wolford will want to compete for a starting role, and the Rams will want to pay him as a perennial backup.  That likely will lead to no extension.

So the Rams should give serious consideration to drafting a quarterback on day three.  Who would fit their need? Well, the 2021 NFL Draft actually has some excellent choices for the Rams redshirt scenario.

2021 NFL Draft pocket passers may not be as plentiful as in prior years. But they are worth a late draft pick for the huge upside they bring to the LA Rams roster.

The first quarterback to consider is the 6-foot-4 222-pound quarterback out of Stanford, Davis Mills. Mills is projected to hear his name called early on day three, but with the crowded supply of quarterbacks in the  NFL Free Agency market, he could fall to either round six or seven, either of which would place him within reach for the Rams. He possesses high accuracy and has a cannon for a passing arm. He is dependant upon play-action to help keep the pocket clean but is an ideal fit in the LA Rams quick-timing offense.

The second quarterback to consider is the 6-foot-6 234-pound quarterback out of Arkansas, Feleipe Franks. While he has some mobility, his NFL future shines more brightly if he commits to the pocket. He spent three years with Florida, throwing to Rams WR Van Jefferson in 2018 and in 2019 until he suffered an ankle injury after four games. He transferred to Arkansas in 2020 and had a solid finish to his NCAA career.

While he did not put up a great showing at the Senior Bowl, he does have a solid scouting video you can check out here. He is most definitely an NFL redshirt prospect, but that could place him squarely into the LA Rams draft range.

The third quarterback to consider is the 6-foot-3 205-pound quarterback out of Texas A&M, Kellen Mond. While Mond has characteristics of a dual-threat quarterback, he worked very hard throughout his collegiate career to rely more upon his arm than his legs. That effort seems to have paid off. While his rushing yards declined, he more than made up for it with passing accuracy. And in his senior year, he hurled 19 touchdowns to only three interceptions.

The ticket for Mond to the LA Rams was his Senior Bowl performance, which was touted by multiple reports and analysts. Mond’s stock certainly rose from his Senior Bowl display, but by how much is difficult to measure. He will certainly be on many NFL team’s radars after winning the Senior Bowl MVP award.

We posed the question of drafting a quarterback on Christmas Eve, 2020. Now there is even more reason to do so, but the Rams’ targets may have changed. Mond looks hot enough to be a legitimate target in the 2021 NFL Draft by the Rams. But to be honest, if any of these three were chosen in either rounds six or seven by the Rams, that would get a high grade from me. Stafford won’t line up under center forever. It would be smart for the Rams to plan now for the day that happens.