Rams add QB depth, take UGA’s Bennett in 4th

TARZANA, Calif. — A day after head coach Sean McVay joked that the Rams would be the first team to carry just one quarterback on their roster all season, Los Angeles drafted Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett in the fourth round.

Prior to Saturday, Matthew Stafford was the lone quarterback on the Rams’ roster. Stafford was in the concussion protocol twice last season and ended the season on injured reserve with a spinal cord contusion.

Bennett said Saturday that he didn’t go on a visit to Los Angeles before the draft. The quarterback said he’s “excited to work with Coach McVay.”

“I don’t know much, but I hear he’s a genius,” Bennett said.

Bennett, who led Georgia to back-to-back national championships the past two seasons, is the first quarterback drafted by the Rams since they took Jared Goff No. 1 overall in 2016.

In January, Bennett was arrested on a misdemeanor public intoxication charge in Dallas after police officers responded to a report of a man banging on doors, according to a Dallas Police Department spokesperson.

Bennett said when he talked to the Rams, he addressed the situation in Dallas, but most of their conversations were “about the football side of it.”

Former NFL quarterback Kellen Clemens, who assisted the Rams with evaluating players this offseason and spent time in Athens with Bennett, said the quarterback took accountability for the incident, “and then I think there was also a very mature response to how he handled it.”

Bennett was the fifth SEC quarterback drafted, tying the most quarterbacks drafted from a single conference in the common draft era, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

Bennett finished his Georgia career with a record of 29-3 as a starting quarterback, the second-best record in SEC history with at least 30 starts. In 2022, he became the first quarterback in Georgia history to throw for more than 4,000 yards in a single season, according to ESPN Stats & Info.

Rams director of draft management JW Jordan said as he watched Bennett, it was clear that he was “more than just a cog in the wheel.”

“He’s driving the bus,” Jordan said. “…Obviously he’s accurate, tough as nails [and] highly, highly competitive.”

The Rams traded into the fourth round on Day 2 to acquire the pick from the New York Giants.

Bennett, who will step in as the Rams’ backup quarterback, said he’s excited to learn from Stafford, who also played college football at Georgia.

“He’s obviously extremely smart,” Bennett said. “He’s one of the most talented quarterbacks that’s ever played the game. And he is tough as nails and all his teammates seem to always like him. And so I’m excited to just go in there, be quiet, take notes and learn.”