5 reasons why the LA Rams will salvage rookie QB Stetson Bennett's NFL career in 2024

IV: Rams 2023 rookie class is built on long-shots who love to play football

While rookie QB Stetson Bennett is one of the most obvious players who did not meet expectations in his rookie year, he is most certainly not the only young player who needs time to get up to the level of NFL competition.

In the 2023 NFL Draft, the LA Rams were able to land two defenders who lead all rookies at their respective positions in Round 3 by selecting OLB Byron Young and NT Kobie Turner. The Rams added a road-grading offensive guard by selecting IOL Steve Avila in Round 2. The Rams added a record setting wide receiver in Round 5 by adding WR Puka Nacua. And the Rams added a cannon-footed punter in Round 7 by selecting P Ethan Evans. Not only has Evans handled punting for the Rams far in excess of lofty expectations, but he handles the kickoff duties as well.

And Evans has an 88.5 percent touchback percentage on his kickoffs. That's pretty good for a punter.

However the Rams adjusted their draft vetting process for 2023, it's impossible to argue the point that the Rams were merely blindly tossing darts at a dart board. All in all, the Rams rookie class of 2023 is about as excellent of a rookie class that the Rams organization has known, and this is still their first year of NFL competition.

Have we all been so overwhelmed with how well some rookies have performed for the Rams right out of the gate that we have lost our perspective on just how difficult the process can be for rookies to adjust to life in the NFL?

Bennett did not 'flop' so far. In fact, in his first preseason game he exhibited many of the characteristics of a successful NFL quarterback. Whether he was physically injured or mentally exhausted, his final preseason game did not go as well as planned. If the sequence of preseason games occured in reverse order, analysts would have concluded that Bennett had made rapid progress.

But either way, he showed enough promise to warrant developing his skills further.