SETBACK: Rams will regret for letting me go this way.

LA whiffed on a clear Matthew Stafford succession plan in the 2024 NFL Draft

Heading into Day 3 of the 2024 NFL Draft, I urged the L.A. Rams to trade up and take South Carolina quarterback Spencer Rattler as Matthew Stafford’s successor. My suggestion must’ve gotten lost in the mail as the Saints took Rattler in the fifth round. New Orleans took the Gamecocks star with the No. 150 pick, just four picks before LA selected Washington State DE Brennan Jackson.

Rattler was there for the taking and realistically, the Rams might not have needed to trade up for him given his lengthy availability on the board. I’d argue that LA could come to regret their decision in the long run.

Derrik Klassen from Bleacher Report named the Rams as a team that wished they could have a do-over after passing on Rattler. Klassen argued that the pick “would have made so much sense from every angle.”

“For one, Stafford isn’t getting any younger. Stafford is a 36-year-old with a gnarly injury history. He is a top-five quarterback when he’s healthy, but it’s only going to get harder and harder to guarantee his health moving forward.

Rattler also nuzzles right into the mold of what McVay’s offense has become with Stafford at the helm. The Stafford-era Rams passing offense is a smattering of deep dig routes, corner routes, deep over routes and ambitious play-action shot plays. There are more five- and seven-step drops in this offense than in almost any other, and that’s because it trusts the quarterback to hang in the pocket and make tight-window throws from muddy pockets. All of that is right up Rattler’s alley.”

The Saints made a great pick in taking Rattler when everyone else passed him over. That missed opportunity should eat at Les Snead and Sean McVay considering New Orleans has a succession plan in place for whenever Derek Carr craps the bed (again).

Right now, LA has no clear plan for how to replace Stafford whenever that day comes.

Sure, Jimmy Garoppolo is a solid backup, but he’s obviously not in the Rams’ future plans. If he is, then something went horribly, horribly wrong. Stetson Bennett is a mysterious force, yet is also unlikely to be the future. Like in NOLA, Rattler would’ve learned from a veteran without feeling any pressure to start. Although, he would likely benefit more in learning from a Super Bowl champ in Stafford and an offensive guru like McVay.

Time will tell if the Rams were wise to pass on the South Carolina product. Until then, LA whiffed on their best chance to take Spencer Rattler.