Rams failed to hit the Trifecta in Round 5 of the 2025 NFL Draft, and here's why

The Los Angeles Rams were seeking a quarterback successor to veteran starting quarterback Matthew Stafford. Early in the 2025 NFL Draft, the Rams landed an additional Round 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. It came at the cost of the team's Round 1 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. So much for landing one of the best quarterbacks in the draft, right?

But projected Round 1 quarterback prospect Shedeur Sanders from Colorado fell out of Day 1. He dropped on Day 2 as well. Could the LA Rams have used Sanders' precipitous drop to land an ideal successor for Stafford on Day 3 of the 2025 NFL Draft while keeping both Round 2 picks in next year's draft?

The possibility was clearly a dream scenario for the Rams and Rams fans.

It had all the makings of a Hollywood movie script, a fairy tale, or a bedtime story. In a draft in which the Rams had surrendered their only meaningful opportunity to select an understudy for Matthew Stafford, one of the projected top quarterback prospects fell within the Rams' reach.

Not once. Not twice. But three times, the Rams stepped up to the podium to announce their selections. Although Shedeur Sanders was on the board in Rounds 1, 2, 3, and 4, the Rams did not yield to the expectation of landing a rookie quarterback.

Sanders falls back to the Browns after all is said and done

Many NFL teams entered the 2025 NFL Draft shopping for quarterbacks. 13 quarterbacks heard their names called out in the draft. 12 teams selected at least one quarterback. The Cleveland Browns drafted two. Curiously enough, Sanders was not the first rookie added to the Browns roster. That honor goes to Oregon QB Dillan Gabriel. He was selected in Round 3.

Many draft analysts viewed Shedeur Sanders as one of the top quarterbacks in the rookie class of 2025. Some draft boards were a bit more skeptical, projecting Sanders as a Round 2 rookie selection. And yet, he tumbled out of Day 1 and through Day 2.

Early in Round 5 of the draft, the alarm sounded and Rams fans were shaken out of a slumber back to reality. The hope for the Rams to take a chance on Shedeur Sanders had evaporated instantly. Despite choosing a rookie quarterback in Round 3, the Cleveland Browns double-dipped and selected Shedeur Sanders in Round 5.

And suddenly, all the controversy over Sanders fall in the NFL was over. Or, was it?

Browns may have gotten the steal of the century

I have concluded that it's not when a rookie is selected in the draft, it's what that player makes of the opportunity once he arrives in the NFL. And Rams fans should know that better than any other team. The Rams selected Notre Dame running back Kyren Williams in Round 5 of the 2022 NFL Draft, and followed that up by selecting BYU wide receiver Puka Nacua in Round 5 of the 2023 NFL Draft. The jury is still out on Washington State OLB Brennan Jackson, who was selected in Round 5 of the 2024 NFL Draft.

But the Rams have every opportunity to trade up in Round 5, or back in Round 4, to select Shedeaur Sanders. They didn't.

The Cleveland Browns did. It wasn't due to a hunch. It wasn't due to superb scouting. It wasn't even due to a need. The Browns had already drafted a quarterback. It was simply because practically every network NFL draft analyst was hyperventilating over the fact that no team was willing to give Sanders a fair shake on Day 3.

The Browns were simply the first NFL team to give in to their curiosity. And in doing so, they may have stumbled into the NFL draft steal of the century

Players selected on Day 3 seldom have a shot at starting. But Shedeur Sanders is not just anybody. He was a very talented college quarterback who worked miracles at creating offense out of broken plays. If an NFL team needed a cool, calm, and collected quarterback who can handle the pressure in an NFL pocket, Sanders is your guy. And now he is impressing the Browns coaching staff in OTAs.

If Rams fans were disappointed by the team's disinterest in selecting center Creed Humphrey in favor of wide receiver Tutu Atwell, they have a right to be downright outraged at the team's willingness to shun QB Shedeur Sanders despite openly discussing the need for a successor to Matthew Stafford.

Is the 2026 NFL Draft more promising? Perhaps. But next year's draft class is only better if the Rams manage to land a better QB fit in that draft. It's not the Round 1 pick, it's the prospect selected. Right now, Shedeur Sanders seems to be delivering all that NFL draft analysts expected, and all that Rams fans hope to find in a rookie QB.

Yes, it's only OTAs. And there may be promising rookie quarterbacks next year. But the adage, "A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush," applies in this case. Are the Rams so confident in backup quarterback Stetson Bennett that the team needn't have trialed a highly regarded rookie in 2025? Whether yes or no, many Rams fans do not share that confidence.

The Rams found a quality running back and wide receiver in Round 5 of the NFL Draft. They would have nailed the Trifecta had the team drafted QB Shedeur Sanders to open Round 5 of the draft. They didn't do so, forcing the team and fans to wait and hope for a chance to select a quality quarterback in the 2026 NFL Draft.

As always, thanks for reading.

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