It’s very possible the Los Angeles Rams will draft a quarterback with one of their 11 picks this year, potentially even on Day 1 or 2. Matthew Stafford is getting older and his backup, Jimmy Garoppolo, is also a veteran on only a one-year deal. Stetson Bennett’s uncertain future throws a wrench into things, too, because the Rams don’t know if he can be the successor at quarterback.
Mel Kiper Jr. of ESPN just released his latest mock draft with the big event only two weeks out and he has the Rams trading up for a quarterback. That doesn’t happen from Pick 19, though. He projects them to move up for Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. in the second round, going from No. 52 to 37 in order to land the lefty quarterback.
Kiper’s projected deal involves the Rams sending Nos. 52, 83 and 96 to the Chargers for No. 37. Here’s what Kiper wrote about the Rams’ potential selection of Penix at No. 37 overall.
Yes, the Rams have Matthew Stafford. Yes, they brought in Jimmy Garoppolo. And yes, they drafted Stetson Bennett in Round 4 last year. But Stafford is 36 and has dealt with serious injuries in recent years, while Garoppolo is on a one-year deal and Bennett spent his rookie season on the reserve/non-football illness list. There’s a lot of uncertainty in L.A. past 2024.
Penix could be the future franchise signal-caller for coach Sean McVay and the Rams. He is accurate to every level of the field and is a great decision-maker. He had 67 touchdown passes and 19 interceptions in his two seasons at Washington. I have a Round 2 grade on him, just behind Bo Nix in my rankings.
Penix could be one of six quarterbacks drafted in the first round, but in Kiper’s mock, only four of them go in Round 1. Nix and Penix both slip into the second round after Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye and J.J. McCarthy all go in the top five.
The Rams do need a successor behind Stafford and Penix would be afforded the chance to sit and learn for at least a year or two, which would benefit him greatly. There are some injury concerns after he suffered two torn ACLs and two shoulder injuries during his time at Indiana from 2018-2021, but he looks to be past those ailments.
Earlier in Kiper’s mock, the Rams select Laiatu Latu at No. 19 overall in the first round, adding a dynamic pass rusher to a defense that lost Aaron Donald to retirement. Latu is a promising prospect with an excellent pass-rush repertoire, and pairing him with Byron Young would give the Rams a young tandem of outside linebackers to build around for the next few years.
Latu is the best pure edge rusher in this class, and he already has an array of pass-rush moves. He ranked first in the FBS in total pressures (55) and had 13 sacks in 2023. I haven’t heard any recent red flags around his medical reports, as there were some questions last fall because he medically retired from football because of a neck injury he suffered when he was at Washington in 2021.
Some fans may not be on board with the Rams taking a quarterback early in the draft, but with Bennett’s future unclear and Stafford getting older, they need to address the position sooner or later and spending a second-rounder on a talented passer isn’t the worst idea – even if it comes after trading up.
