2024 NFL Mock Draft: Rams Use First-Round Pick on QB

Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford -- much to the chagrin of chief operating officer Kevin Demoff -- acknowledged in July that the team had approached him during the offseason about potentially restructuring his deal. There's some reason to think the Rams may even have shopped Stafford when a restructure didn't take place.

So while Stafford and the Rams will be together for a third season in 2023, the future of their relationship beyond this season is far from certain. (Although unless the quarterback himself retires, it would likely take some sort of restructure for the Rams to trade Stafford, because the financials make it almost impossible to release him anytime soon.)

Given the uncertain future of Stafford, 24/7 Sports recently projected that the Rams will select Tennessee quarterback Joe Milton with the No. 10 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

"In terms of overall arm strength, Joe Milton is in a category all by his lonesome," 24/7 Sports wrote. "He does not have the reps and experience most of the top-end prospects will have at the position, but Milton drew substantial buzz from NFL types. Remember the intrigue behind Florida's Anthony Richardson and Kentucky's Will Levis last cycle? Milton has a similar trajectory. He gets so much torque through a strong lower and upper body that there's noticeable juice — and distance — on his throws."

Under this scenario, three quarterbacks -- Caleb Williams of USC, Drake Maye of North Carolina and Quinn Ewers of Texas -- are all taken before the Rams go on the clock at No. 10.

Milton is already 23 and entering his sixth collegiate season -- he played at Michigan from 2018-2020 -- so he would have to put together a monster final season to convince a team to use a pick this high on him.

But in nine games a season ago, Milton tossed 10 touchdowns to zero interceptions. He's 6-foot-5 and 244 pounds, so his size is excellent. It's not hard to imagine scouts falling in love with what they believe Milton could develop into at the NFL level.

For the Rams, 2024 is set to mark the first time they've had a selection in the top round of the NFL Draft since taking Jared Goff No. 1 overall in 2016. They could very well go with a quarterback, especially if Stafford has another injury-riddled campaign.

At the same time, the Rams have major needs on their offensive line, at receiver and in the defensive secondary, among other areas. If Stafford is still playing at a relatively high level and just doesn't have enough talent around him, the Rams might be better off riding out the quarterback's contract and building up other areas of their roster.

You can follow Tim Kelly @TimKellySports on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

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