Do Not Rule Out Stetson Bennett in LA
“He has some great moments to fall back on, but I still think there are too many things working against him to ever be a starter.”
These are the comments from just one of Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett’s draft profiles prior to being selected by the Los Angeles Rams in April.
Whilst Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud and Anthony Richardson received plenty of Draft hype, Bennett was not seen by anyone as a first or second round talent, despite being the starting quarterback for back-to-back National Championship games – and winning both.
So why was there no pre-draft hype?
Victim Of His Surroundings
Bennett was fourth in Heisman voting in 2022, and threw for 8,429 yards, 66 touchdowns and 21 interceptions throughout his four-year college career.
He only played double digit games in his final two seasons (2021 and 2022) and in those campaigns, he threw for 29 and 27 touchdowns respectively, with only seven interceptions in each season.
Bennett also ran for ten touchdowns in his final season but yet is still not seen as a viable NFL quarterback.
The main narrative around Bennett in college was that he was playing with track athletes and future first rounders. His draft profile also referred to an issue with consistency, release timing on play-action plays, and struggles with placement and deep throws.
However, he has also been praised for how he performed in the big games, his anticipation from the pocket and ability to scan progressions across the field.
This should leave Rams fans with plenty of hope should Bennett get the opportunity to start.
Proving His Doubters Wrong
Bennett is only ten years younger than current Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, despite the former first overall pick’s 14-year career and Bennett being a rookie.
At the age of 35, Stafford is not going to last forever, and not everyone can do a Brady and play well in their 40’s.
At some point, the Rams will need to move on from Stafford, and Bennett will hope that he is the guy to do that. After all, Brady made the most from a similar situation.
Brady was also someone with a lack of pre or post-draft hype. He was seen as the tenth best quarterback in the 2000 NFL Draft and projected to be a fifth-round pick.
Like Bennett, Brady was seen as smart and was praised for his big game performances but was also criticised for not having the “total package of skills”.
It is unwise to compare Bennett to the greatest that ever did it at the position, but there should be encouragement for Rams fans if Bennett is given the keys to Sean McVay’s offense
Whether or not Bennett has a career like Brady or Jared Goff, there are plenty of quarterbacks that have been taken in the fourth round and gone on to have good NFL careers.
Dak Prescott is the most recent example, going 135th overall in 2016. And at time of writing, he has thrown for 24,943 yards and 65 touchdowns. Meanwhile, Kirk Cousins went 102nd overall in 2012 and even managed to beat out Robert Griffin to the starting role in Washington, despite the latter going second overall. He has thrown for 37,140 yards ad 140 touchdowns.
Whilst a Super Bowl or NFC Championship appearance have eluded both these quarterbacks, they have had good careers and have proved to have talent way higher than what their NFL Draft position suggests.
Rich Gannon was taken 98th overall and threw for 28,743 yards and 180 touchdowns. He was also named MVP in the 2002 season, a season that ultimately led to a Super Bowl loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
One player who went one step further was Joe Thiesmann, who won a Super Bowl with the Washington Redskins in the 1982 season, as well as being named MVP in the 1983 campaign. His career may have ended earlier than expected due to a horrific injury, but he still finished with 25,206 yards and 160 touchdowns.
ANDY DAVIES
NFL ANALYST
A current Sports Journalism masters student, Andy has been writing NFL articles since January 2020. Originally from Wales, Andy also writes for pro football mania and dolphins talk, as well as appearing on podcasts and videos for euro tripz. find him on twitter @andydaviessport.