There may be no bigger question in the NFL than who is going to play quarterback for the Los Angeles Rams in 2025. Matthew Stafford and the team are back at the negotiating table and this time the team seems less willing to give the 37-year-old QB what he wants.
Regardless of what happens there, the truth of the matter is the Rams will need to find their future signal caller sooner than later, whether through a trade, free agency, or the draft.
Matt Johnson of Sportsnaut recently took a stab at solving this in his latest mock draft, authored alongside Andrew Buller-Russ, selecting Jaxson Dart from the Ole Miss Rebels. Here is his reasoning;
Los Angeles Rams Draft QB Jaxson Dart With Pick 26
“Matthew Stafford is putting the Los Angeles Rams through what the Green Bay Packers experienced with Brett Favre then Aaron Rodgers, yearly retirement contemplation and a refusal to make a long-term commitment,” Johnson writes. “Eventually, an organization gets tired of playing the waiting game and makes its move. Unsurprisingly, there have been a lot of NFL rumors this offseason about the Rams potentially trading Stafford.
Whether he stays for another year or goes, the Rams coaching staff seems ready to plan for the future. Jaxson Dart is already viewed by some general managers as a legitimate first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. He impressed at the Senior Bowl and has three years of starting experience with the ability to make throws to all areas of the field. Sean McVay can mold his offense around Dart’s skills, providing the Rams with a long-term Stafford replacement.”
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There is a lack of consensus around Dart from draft experts. The Athletic’s Dane Brugler lists him as the third-best QB prospect in the draft and 57th overall — while Pro Football Focus has him as the 7th-best and 122nd overall, behind Riley Leonard, Jalen Milroe, and Will Howard among others.
Lack of consensus is not something the Rams have ever concerned themselves with as they have some of the most innovative draft scouting in the league. They have been lauded recently for cashing in on mid and late round talent, including Puka Nacua, Kobie Turner, Kyren Williams, as well as scoring big in the first round with 2024’s Defensive Player of the Year, Jared Verse.
That said, the Rams have not drafted many quarterbacks in the Les Snead — Sean McVay Era. Since 2017, they have only drafted Stetson Bennett, who has not risen to the level of backup quarterback, much less shown the aptitude to take the starting role.
Here is what Brugler writes about Dart as a prospective Rams quarterback; “After transferring out of USC once Caleb Williams arrived, Dart found a home with Lane Kiffin. He leaves Oxford, Miss., with numerous season and career records, including the Rebels’ all-time lead in wins (28), passing yards (10,617) and total offense (12,117). He needs time to develop his progression-based reads and anticipation (things he wasn’t asked to regularly do in college), but Dart is a natural thrower of the football with promising mobility and high-level competitive intangibles.”