Rams' Sean McVay, Les Snead Praise Stetson Bennett: 'He Was a Weapon for Georgia'

When the Los Angeles Rams selected Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett in the fourth round, it served as a shock to the system for many. For the team itself, it was a chance to grab a guy who could be the future.

The discovery of his talent came from the team scouting the Georgia offensive linemen.

"You just come away going, 'Wow, I thought people said [Bennett] was just maybe, whatever kind of manage-the-game-type QB.' But what you did is you just go, 'Whoa, wait a minute. Look at that guy move," Rams general manager Les Snead told reporters. "Look at him buy some time. Look at him anticipate some throws.' And just you come away thinking, 'Wow, he was a weapon for Georgia.' And I made a joke internally that he's got a bad PR agent because his image is not maybe being, let's call it a talented player, was probably a little false."

Head coach Sean McVay shared similar praise for his new quarterback.

"Because of the background and the way that he became the starter at Georgia is a little bit unconventional and it wasn't the 5-star route, but I think it minimized the athleticism, the ability to create off-schedule," McVay told reporters. "He's a natural thrower of the football. He can play with great anticipation, throws the ball with accuracy, plays within the timing. I think [former Georgia offensive coordinator Todd] Monken, who's now with the Ravens, they did a great job where it's an easier eval because you can see a lot of the concepts that maybe you would ask him to execute."

Bennett was a great story for Georgia, starting as a walk-on, going to junior college and coming back to lead the team to back-to-back CFP national championships in 2021 and 2022. Still, his older age and lack of elite physical tools were concerns for scouts.

His draft stock was not helped by his January public intoxication arrest. He was even considered to be a candidate to go undrafted.

Still, his statistics at Georgia are strong. He threw for 8,429 yards and 66 touchdowns in his time for the Bulldogs and became the first quarterback in Georgia history to win two national championships.

Bennett, Cade Cookus and Matthew Stafford are the only quarterbacks on the Rams depth chart. Stafford previously said he is not considering retirement, but his availability for the start of 2023 has not been declared.