Turf Show Times
Should Rams have traded up for Jaxson Dart?
The Los Angeles Rams were linked to Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart before the draft and some speculated at the time that Les Snead only traded out of the first round because the New York Giants traded up to get in front of them to take Dart off the board. In days and weeks since then, rumors of L.A.’s interest in Dart have been eviscerated by reports and behind-the-scenes videos so the most likely case scenario is that the Rams were always happy to trade down with the Atlanta Falcons for a future first round pick.
However, even if the Rams did ‘extensive homework’ on Dart and decided conclusively that he would not be worth a first round pick, there will always be those questions of whether Snead and Sean McVay made a mistake if Dart turns out to be a steal for the Giants.
Very early in his NFL career and with only offseason practices to go off of, the “excellent” Dart is progressing nicely according to head coach Brian Daboll. “He’s smart, he’s aggressive with the football, which I like...he’s progressed since he’s been here.”
A college career like Dart’s would’ve once scared teams away from drafting him in the first round and I’m not talking about 20-30 years ago. I’m talking about 2-3 years ago.
Dart was off to a promising start as a true freshman at USC in 2021, but was pushed out of a job when Caleb Williams transferred to the Trojans to follow head coach Lincoln Riley. Dart’s next two seasons at Ole Miss were considered mediocre by NFL standards and he fell off the radar for most draft analysts.
Even Dart’s senior season, although the numbers were great, didn’t immediately put him into any first round conversations.
It was only leading up to the final weeks of the pre-draft process that anyone started to seriously consider Dart as a first round prospect. And that’s largely because other than Cam Ward, nobody else was considered worthy of a first round pick (other than, ironically, fifth rounder Shedeur Sanders).
The Rams were a team that consistently popped into the conversation as being interested in taking a QB with their first round pick despite re-committing to starter Matthew Stafford for the near future. Yes, Stafford is the third-oldest presumed starter in the NFL, but at 37 he might actually be able to start for four more seasons if he has the will to do so.
Aaron Rodgers will turn 42 this season — and he won back-to-back MVPs when he was 37 and 38.
Joe Flacco will turn 41 in January.
Drafting Dart in the first round, which L.A. could have done with only a small trade, could have put Stafford in the crosshairs as early as this year. Any interception (even in a practice) could be a door opening for some fans to call for Dart, and we know that Stafford is going to throw his share...
