3 Round 1 draft prospects that Rams should pass on to avoid annoying fans

I: An elite QB prospect

Even though the LA Rams have been rumored to have met with Washington Huskies' elite quarterback prospect Michael Penix after his Pro Day, I'm not sold on his ability to handle the physicality of a long 17-game NFL season with what is known about his injury history. While he does have all of the makings of a solid NFL quarterback, standing 6-foot-2 and weighing 216 pounds, his injury history is not for the faint of heart.

Penix has battled back to compete after two ACL tears in the same knee. He also has recovered after surgeries on each of his shoulders. That streak of injuries impacted his play from 2018-2021. In six seasons of NCAA football, Penix has competed in 49 games (including playoffs). that averages out to just 7.5 games per season.

It's not that I am not impressed with everything that Michael Penix can do from the pocket to help his team win. He is among the Top 5 quarterbacks in the 2024 NFL Draft class that is bursting with starter talent. But the history of the quarterback position for this team has been one of marked durability since Jared Goff was selected with the first overall pick of the 2016 NFL Draft. In his four seasons in Horns, Goff missed just two games. Once was due to injury (2020) and once he was benched to create a mini-BYE in the last week of the 2017 NFL season.

Matthew Stafford did suffer an injury shortened season in 2022, playing in just eight of 17 games. But he has only missed one game in his other two seasons.

Until Michael Penix could prove to have the necessary durability to play more than one full NFL season of 17 games, the team would be forced to invest heavily in a solid backup quarterback who could win in postseason play. That is beyond this team's comfort zone. It's better to simply avoid taking a chance on a high-reward high-risk prospect at this juncture.

In each case, the investment of a Round 1 pick, even if that prospect falls to the Rams at the 19th overall selection, simply does not appear to be worth the squeeze. This team has plenty of needs on the defensive side of the football. If the Rams front office deviates from targeting a player from that side of the football, you can expect to hear from crowds of fans on social media who are annoyed by that logic.

As always, thank you for reading.