Latest ESPN mock draft could flip Rams draft haul on its ear

Why the Rams won't select QB Jaxson Dart in Round 1

The challenge of any rookie prospect is not where we believe he fits in the tiers of the big draft board, but where the Rams see his value to the team in terms of tiers. Jaxson Dart may deserve a Round 1 projection for many NFL teams. But does he bring that level of value to upgrade the roster more than other prospects? Let's explore why the Rams may not select QB Jaxson Dart, even if he is on the board at the 26th overall pick.

(1) - Dart is too valuable, to other teams

The fact of the matter is that its improbable that Mississippi rookie QB prospect Jason Dart remains on the draft board long enough to come anywhere near the LA Rams. The mad scramble of so many NFL over a handful of veteran quarterbacks who excite nobody has laid the pavement to a highway of team's reaching for rookie quarterbacks in the 2025 NFL Draft. As many as six NFL teams are reasonably in the market for a young arm in the draft.

Tannenbaum projects just two quarterbacks off the board before the Rams select at the 26th overall pick. If Dart is still on the board, I see a more realistic scenario for the Rams to be tempted with a massive trade package to trade out of that spot to allow another team to name him as their selection with the 26th overall pick. It's not that I don't believe Dart is a solid fit and an ideal player with tremendous upside.

I just cannot see the Rams valuing his contribution on the roster worth a potential trade package from a team desperate to land a young quarterback. A team like the Cleveland Browns, would be foolish not to trade back into the bottom of Round 1 to grab a rookie quarterback. In his mock draft, Tannenbaum projects WR/CB Travis Hunter to them with the second overall pick. The Browns could package their 34th and 94th overall picks to pry the 26th overall pick from the Rams.

(2) - Should the Rams spend a Round 1 pick on a developmental quarterback?

No matter who is selected as a quarterback for the Rams roster in the 2025 NFL Draft, they will need to put on quite the performance to earn a spot on the Rams depth chart over any of the three existing quarterbacks. There is no way any rookie wins the starting quarterback job from veteran Matthew Stafford. Likewise, the team extended veteran QB Jimmy Garoppolo to be the primary backup for the team in 2025.

So the best that any rookie quarterback can hope for is a backup-to-the-backup role. And I'm not even certain that the team automatically anoints a new rookie to the third-string quarterback. The team simply is not currently built to have an open slot on the roster or the depth chart for a rookie to assume a significant spot among the team's pecking order.

(3) - Do Rams have an offense built for a mobile/pocket passer?

Jaxson Dart stands 6-foot-2 and weighs 223 pounds. While he has solid size, he brings plenty of versatility to an offense. Over four seasons in college football, he completed 735 of 1,118 passes for 11,970 yards, 81 touchdowns and 27 interceptions. But he also rushed 393 times for 1,541 yards and 14 rushing touchdowns.

As much as the team had flirted with mobile quarterbacks, the Rams offense is designed to optimize the talents of a pocket passer. That's important, because pass rush pressure in the NFL for a young quarterback can lead to bad habits of pulling the football down and running for daylight, even when a receiver is open. While Dart can be coached up to be patient in the pocket, that is not the type of coaching to-do list that an NFL team wants to invest in a Round 1 quarterback.

(4) - Can the Rams motivate a Round 1 rookie QB to work hard to be benched?

Perhaps the final obvious challenge to any mock draft that projects QB Jaxson Dart to the Rams in Round 1 is the obvious motivation factor. It's impossible to dangle the keys to the Rams offense in front of Dart and hint that he gets to drive the high-powered Rams offense in 2025. He may not even be motivated if the team promises him a starting role in 2026.

Professional athletes rarely exhibit that much patience. And it's the chance to land a significant role on the team that is the basic motivation for every player. Therein lies the rub.

The Rams roster is bursting with talented players whose potential is far greater than their production. You can name WR Tutu Atwell, RBs Ronnie Rivers and Blake Corum, TE Davis Allen, and more. It's difficult to develop young players whose role is limited in the offense. That is doubly difficult when it comes to young quarterbacks, whose early NFL experiences runs aground with truly competitive situations.

Can Dart develop without the taste of live football action? Some can. Some cannot.