Not all 2024 Top-10 rookie QBs are too lofty for LA Rams reach

Too lofty for Rams taste

There are plenty of NFL teams who are willing to trade up to acquire one of the top quarterbacks from the 2024 rookie class, but as in all things, caveat emptor. The Carolina Panthers traded up to the first overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft and selected Alabama quarterback Bryce Young. While there wa no shortage of applause for the Panther's bold strategy, Young's rookie performance was dwarfed by Houston Texans rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud

Not every quarterback lives up to their pre-draft hype. Actually, the odds of hitting on a quarterback in Round 1 simply to become a dependable starter are just 63 percent. Those are pretty lousy odds considering the cost to get to a high enough perch to make a selection of a top quarterback often involves multiple first-round picks just to get there.

I - QB Caleb Williams, USC

I know that USC quarterback Caleb Williams is coming off the board long before the LA Rams make their selection at 19. But after the number of demands and conditions that this not-even-an-NFL-rookie has made, I'm no longer interested in the Rams selecting him at all. This young man has earned over $12 million in endorsement deals in his last year at USC, and that much money cannot help but change a player's perspective toward the game.

This of that much cash as the financial equivalent of the college Heisman Trophy. After earning the honor, there is little incentive to work hard at starting over in the game of professional football. After tasting that much success in college, what is his motivation for the NFL?

II - QB Drake Maye, North Carolina

The other top tier quarterback who has gotten a great deal of positive press is North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye. Maye has opted not to throw at Indianapolis, but has committed to throwing at his Pro Day. Standing 6-foot-4 and weighing 225 pounds, Maye is a big-bodied hurler who can stand tall in the pocket and beat teams with his cannon-powered throwing arm, or who can pull the ball down and beat defenses with his scrambling ability.

Even behind a terrible offensive line, Maye has consistently put up huge numbers. Even with rumors that he might fall in the draft (as wild rumors are prone to surface until draft day arrives), he remains a Top-5 draft prospect who is a consensus second player off the board.