'He's a Winner': Why Rams Drafted Georgia QB Stetson Bennett
Unsurprisingly, the Los Angeles Rams were in the market for a quarterback in the 2023 NFL Draft after playing four a season ago. However, what might've been surprising was their selection of Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett in the fourth round.
Despite finishing his collegiate career with the Bulldogs as a back-to-back national champion and Heisman finalist Bennett still has plenty of doubters, whether it stems from his height at 5-foot-11 or the connotation of being a game manager. But Rams head coach Sean McVay and co. are not one of them.
"The guy is a winner. He's a competitor. He's been able to overcome some different things. He's got a lot of athleticism. He's got a natural stroke," McVay said about Bennett in a recent interview. "I thought they did such a great job at Georgia, which makes it a little bit easier eval, with a lot of the concepts you are going to ask guys to try to activate and execute. He'll get to learn under a great former UGA Bulldog, Super Bowl champ Matthew Stafford," McVay continued.
"It'll be fun; we are excited about getting to work with him. I know Zac Robinson and Mike LaFleur were really jacked up. He was one of the guys they had really targeted from the jump; fortunately, we got him."
Bennett becomes the first quarterback taken in the NFL Draft under McVay's watch and will arrive in Inglewood without the expectations of having to be the guy from Day 1. Instead, as McVay mentioned, he will sit behind Stafford as the backup and have the chance to potentially set himself up as the quarterback of the future in Los Angeles.
The former college walk-on ended his career throwing for 8,429 yards, 66 touchdowns, and 21 interceptions in the process of winning two national titles will have to prove himself again, this time in the NFL.
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