NFL rumors are undeniable over Rams growing interest in late Round 1 QB

Tannenbaum makes a passionate and compelling argument

Officially, we have documented the Rams having met with two quarterbacks so far. They are Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers and Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe. Historically, the Rams actual draft seldom adheres to exclusively selecting players who the team had met with previously. In fact, the team seldom does so, unless it's later in the draft. It seems that the Rams use those leaked meetings as the fallback position to misdirect rival teams as to who the Rams truly intend to select.

On many 2025 NFL Draft big boards, both Quinn Ewers and Jalen Milroe are projected among the Top 5 rookie quarterback prospects in this rookie class. The three quarterbacks who are consistently ranked above them? University of Miami QB Cam Ward, Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders, and Mississippi QB Jaxson Dart. Just to compare, the third ranked quarterback in the 2024 NFL Draft was Drake Maye.

And if you compare the raw draft profile scores of Jaxson Dart with his 2024 NFL Draft counterpart, his closest contemporary, he is most similar to current Denver Broncos starter and former Oregon rookie quarterback prospect Bo Nix. So yes, the Rams have solid reasons not to pooh-pooh interest in Dart so quickly.

What truly sells me on the belief that the Rams are interested in Jaxson Dart, or any rookie quarterback in the 2025 NFL Draft, is the passionate argument that Mike Tannenbaum makes for the Rams to select Dart. Tannenbaum is not a Rams beat writer. His job is to cover the entire NFL and to discern which teams make the best fits for which rookie prospects.

He puts his objectivity and reputation on the line with this passionate sales pitch of Dart to the Rams:

Of course, the likelihood of Jaxson Dart's selection by the Rams is very dependent upon no other team in Round 1 seeing the same level of NFL potential in Jaxson Dart. In a year where NFL teams scrambled to sign veteran quarterbacks just to ensure that their roster could start a quarterback in 2025, many stomachs are growling among NFL teams, hungering for a rookie quarterback as well. You can name six quarterback-interested teams off the top of your head if you think about it.

The Tennessee Titans, New York Giants, Pittsburgh Steelers, Las Vegas Raiders, New York Jets, and Minnesota Vikings are all teams that have legitimate reasons to aim for a viable rookie. The trouble is that they all make their Round 1 selections before the Rams. How does the current wave of mock drafts circumvent so much interest without appearing out of touch?

Simply stated, with so much talent at tight end, running back, defensive linemen, plus the annual ache for offensive linemen, wide receivers, and defensive backs, it's not too difficult to dislodge fans' fixation on drafting a quarterback, particularly in a year when there is no media-driven buzz about the prospects.

The focus of NFL fans is definitely aiming at where the best and most abundant talent rests. For the 2025 NFL Draft, that's not the quarterback position. It does make some sense. 11 quarterbacks were selected (out of 32 teams) in the 2024 NFL Draft. Six of those quarterbacks were chosen in Round 1. Not only did those teams satiate their hunger for young quarterback talent in 2025, but the other positional needs are that much greater this year. One quarterback takes the football field. But three wide receivers step onto the field, four defensive linemen step onto the field.

It's not too far in left field to expect NFL teams to focus on other needs in this draft.