Latest PFF mock draft exhausts rookie QBs before LA Rams pick

What will the LA Rams do over their backup quarterback position? If this team was certain about the return of LA Rams head coach Sean McVay, then the answer would undoubtedly be nothing. But this is no longer a team that can count on Sean McVay’s return, so everything we thought that we ‘knew’ about the LA Rams strategy for this offseason is back to square one.

So here we are, a blank slate and starting over from square one. So how can we analyze the LA Rams’ offseason strategy? Well, if you cannot do a direct line-of-sight analysis, the next best thing is to see what the LA Rams cannot do. How’s that? Come again?

Well, we can begin with the Rams quarterback room.  Right now, Matthew Stafford is sitting alone in that room. But he won’t be alone for long. QB Bryce Perkins is an Exclusive Rights Free Agent (ERFA) and QB John Wolford is a Restricted Free Agent. I think Perkins returns, and the Rams will likely place a team-friendly offer out to Wolford to keep him in-house. That leaves one more opening for a fourth quarterback for training camp. A rookie perhaps?  Well, we have some identified on the Rams Big Board for the 2023 NFL Draft.

Will the LA Rams draft a QB? Now I’ve heard everything

Curiously, the Rams have never drafted a quarterback under head coach Sean McVay. But now, with his uncertain future, perhaps the LA Rams will amend that strategy. Not only does drafting a young quarterback lead to infusing competition into the position, but a quarterback who learns the LA Rams offense would be highly valued in the NFL Free Agency Market if the Rams return to the NFL Playoffs.

If the Rams turn to the 2023 NFL Draft for quarterback talent, they may get a bit frustrated. You see, the latest Pro Football Focus first-round mock draft (of which the LA Rams will watch as the Detroit Lions use their pick to make a selection) projects five, count ’em five, quarterbacks being selected in the first round.

For the record, PFF mock draft has the following quarterbacks being selected by these NFL teams:

I   – Alabama QB Bryce Young to Indianapolis Colts
II – Kentucky QB Will Levis to Houston Texans
III– Ohio State QB C.J. Stroud to Las Vegas Raiders
IV– Florida QB Anthony Richardson to Carolina Panthers
V – Stanford QB Tanner McKee to Minnesota Vikings

Normally, I’m delighted at the thought of so many quarterbacks coming off the board in round one. The more quarterbacks selected early, the fewer offensive tackles, cornerbacks, and edge rushers are selected in round one.

But this year could be different. The Rams discovered that a backup quarterback can make a difference as Baker Mayfield made quite an impression on the team. But with so many quarterbacks projected to come off the draft board so quickly, the LA Rams may be content to opt for a veteran free-agent quarterback in the offseason.