5 positions that the LA Rams will ultimately address via 2021 UDFA

Quarterback

The LA Rams quarterback position is anything but settled now. Yes, the LA Rams have traded away a lot to acquire quarterback Matthew Stafford. But he’s on a contract through the 2022 season. His projected backup, John Wolford, is under contract through the 2021 season. Behind them? Undrafted University of Virginia rookie Bryce Perkins.

The Rams need depth at the quarterback position, and I’m not talking about the duck, Devlin Hodges. There will be plenty of solid talent after the 2021 NFL Draft concludes. I like the size and durability of Mississippi State’s K.J. Costello if he falls out of the draft. He stands all of 6-foot-5 and weighs 222-pounds. As an extra bonus, he played for head coach Mike Leach, who I think does an outstanding job of preparing quarterbacks to play at the NFL level.

For that matter, Tulsa’s Zach Smith is a robust 6-foot-3 228-pounds and certainly flashes NFL starter. There are about 10 quarterbacks who are not ready to start in the NFL in 2021, but who could be signed and stashed on the practice squad to compete for a role in 2022.  Right now, the Rams have a pocket passer starting quarterback backed up by nothing but mobile quarterbacks.

Here is a video that explains how McVay’s offense is very quarterback friendly but complicated to learn. So it makes a lot of sense to bring in talented but raw college quarterbacks and let them learn McVay’s offensive system for a year before attempting to compete for a larger role.

The benefits are two-fold.

First of all, the process ensures that the Rams have a steady flow of quarterback talent to fill backup roles. But the other benefit? John Wolford was undrafted. Should he trigger the award of a compensatory pick for the 2023 NFL Draft by signing on with a new team for a healthy contract, the LA Rams have constructively manufactured a draft pick for the team.

The Rams are not out of the woods for the 2021 NFL season. Yes, the Rams return a lot of talent on the team from last season. And even with the modest, subtle changes, the Rams are certainly already deserving of inclusion in any playoff discussions.

But this team is by no means a slam dunk yet. That won’t have a chance of occurring until the Rams construct their full 90-man roster. And to do that, the team will need to have a guided hand to handpick the deserving talent from the fresh ranks arriving via the 2021 Draft class.