5 first rounders the LA Rams should consider who won't replace Matthew Stafford

It's not a mirage or a mistake. The LA Rams will be making a selection on Day 1 of the 2024 NFL Draft. The question is, who will it be? That has been an active topic of late, and will likely to fill chat rooms, forums, and even comments sections. Still, even as the LA Rams prepare to play in Week 11, there are many factors at play that have yet to be settled.

On each fall Saturday, NCAA football games offer a true smorgasbord of college football. Some games are simply local rivalries. Other games, thanks to national rankings, have a regional or national interest. But as many NFL fans find, their interest in college players is a bit limited until after the NFL season ends.

By that time, college football teams have shut down for the off-season, and interested fans must await the NFL Scouting Combine, or the few NFL senior feature games that allow draft-eligible college players to compete against other draft-eligible players.

What if the Rams do not choose a QB in Round 1?

The outbreak of injuries to veteran quarterbacks in 2023 has certainly elevated the awareness of NFL teams as to the status of their backup quarterback situation. And the careers of many of the best NFL quarterbacks are beginning to come to a close as retirement draws ever closer. While the LA Rams are among that group of NFL teams with a legitimate interest in drafting a rookie quarterback in 2024, will the supply of Round 1 worthy quarterbacks last long enough for the Rams to make a wise selection for their franchise quarterback of the future?

The consensus top two quarterback prospects as of mid-November 2023 consist of USC quarterback Caleb Williams and North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye. But how many other quarterbacks who will throw their name into the 2024 NFL Draft are worth a first round pick? That is the rub after all, isn't it?

For that matter, what do the Rams do if the team begins to win games? If the Rams Round 1 pick is outside of the Top 10 selections, do the Rams remain fixated on a quarterback of lesser value, knowing that future drafts will not offer anyone better? Or will the Rams pivot to a Best Player Available (BPA) selection, and let the draft board fall how it may?

In either scenario, who might the Rams target instead? That is the question that we will attempt to answer now. And so, here are five non-quarterback option for the LA Rams in Round 1 of the 2024 NFL Draft.