ESPN analyst sees Rams as sleeper to take QB early in 2025 NFL draft
By reworking Matthew Stafford’s contract for the second straight offseason, the Los Angeles Rams lessened the need to draft a quarterback once again. It would be wise for them to find Stafford’s successor sooner rather than later, but they don’t have to draft a quarterback as badly as teams like the Browns, Giants or Jets do.
That doesn’t mean they won’t take one early, though. If there’s someone they like in the top 100, they could pull the trigger and take him. It just depends which players are on the board and how desperate the Rams are to find Stafford’s eventual replacement.
ESPN’s Field Yates picked the Rams as his sleeper team to watch in the first two rounds when it comes to drafting a quarterback. He could see them taking one somewhere on Day 2, potentially Louisville’s Tyler Shough.
Yates: Los Angeles Rams. On one hand, Matthew Stafford is still playing at a very high level at 37, and the Rams don't currently have a second-round pick. On the other, Stafford's relationship with the organization is year-to-year at this point after his contract restructure, and it would be logical for Los Angeles to at least consider a quarterback somewhere on Day 2. Louisville's Tyler Shough has similar traits to Stafford; he can throw from a variety of different angles and hit tight windows.
Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer also mentioned the Rams as a team to watch when it comes to drafting a quarterback in the first round, with Jaxson Dart being one possible target.
Rams GM Les Snead doesn’t expect many quarterbacks to go in the first round this year but that doesn’t rule out Los Angeles being one of the few teams to select a signal caller. He mentioned two weeks ago that while the Rams need to find a successor “ASAP,” they also have to find the right guy to take the reins, while also balancing the need to address other positions.
"We probably would approach it ASAP,” Snead said. “I do think part of the equation that's the hardest part of that equation is, it's one thing to identify QB, it's another to actually be able to acquire him. Let's say we did and that person could learn under Matthew, that's probably only beneficial. Two things about that equation. Even if we identified someone, sometimes it's hard to acquire them and then you get into, OK, wait a minute. We do have Matthew and we want to chase 'special,’ whatever special may be so maybe it's best at that moment to draft another position player and keep going that way. You're always balancing those two things but finding the next QB, that one is easier said than done.”
With no second-round pick, the Rams have a long wait between their first two picks, which come at No. 26 and 90. They could trade down from 26 and target a quarterback in Round 2, or potentially wait until the third round to take a signal caller.
Picking at the end of the round makes it tough to find a franchise quarterback but it’s not impossible.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: 2025 NFL draft: ESPN's Field Yates sees Rams as sleeper to take QB
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