2024 Rams mock draft: Rams land elite CB and 2 vets in first mock of 2024

Round 5 - Time to grab a hurler

With the 153rd overall pick, the LA Rams select QB Joe Milton III, Tennessee. While you may not be very excited about a Round 5 quarterback, keep in mind that the 2024 NFL Draft is loaded with solid NFL-caliber quarterback prospects. That large number of Round 1 talent pushes other prospects back a round or two in the 2024 NFL Draft.

The Rams do not need to hit on an immediate starter. This team simply needs to land a prospect who can compete well enough in OTAs and preseason games to earn a spot on the LA Rams practice squad. But when the Rams see how well former Tennessee quarterback Joe Milton III handles himself on the football field, they may want to keep him on the active 53-man roster.

There is no reason to avoid the obvious, the 2024 NFL Draft is loaded with talented quarterbacks. And many NFL teams will be in the market for an elite quarterback to assume the role of future franchise quarterback. At one point, when the LA Rams were 3-6 and looking at a dismal diagnosis for injured starting quarterback Matthew Stafford, the Rams appeared to need immediate help at the position.

Well, Stafford finished strong. The Rams committed to Stafford to be their starting QB in 2024, and all's well, right? Well, not exactly. The Rams are unlikely to extend backup QB Carson Wentz if the price is not right. And the Rams are not sharing what they know about their 2023 rookie and presumed backup quarterback Stetson Bennett.

Drafting 6-foot-5 235-pound quarterback Joe Milton lifts the fog from the Rams quarterback situation almost instantly. While not as polished as some rookie QB prospects in this draft, Milton has all of the makings of a future star NFL quarterback.

In any other draft, he would be viewed as a Day 2 prospect. But in the 2024 NFL Draft, he falls all the way to Round 5 because the demand is satiated early in the draft. The Rams need a future franchise quarterback, and can wait for Milton to fall to them in Round 5. He has the size of a Carson Wentz, and similar weaknesses too.

Milton suffered an injury at Tennessee, resulting in losing the starting QB job to teammate Hendon Hooker. But injuries to Hooker opened the door for him to reclaim his staring role, a role he did not relinquish. Once back in the pocket, Milton flashed tremendous arm strength, pocket awareness, He even has the coveted ability to scramble, rushing 78 times for 299 yards and seven touchdowns in 2023.

But Milton is not a finished product. He will need time to develop an ability to read his progressions quickly, much like former Rams QB Jared Goff. In the past, that would not be a fit in a Rams system that demanded immediate production from the quarterback position. But now? Rams HC Sean McVay is more mellow, and Milton has far too much upside to not be considered a fit in the LA Rams offense in 2024.