General QB takeaways

The workouts reinforced what the season demonstrated. Which is that this class is divided into two groups for the most part, those being bigger QBs who have some good tools but need a lot of work and refinement, and then smaller QBs who are more accurate and polished.

Of the bigger QBs Mendoza of course is a slam dunk top pick who has everything. But then it gets rough around the edges. Beck has the toolbox but can't handle any sort of pressure. Allar also has tools feels like he's on permanent mental vacation, I mean how does he not have sound mechanics by now and even if he were to fix his mechanics I don't know that he'll ever be accurate. Green probably has a ton of raw talent but is very raw, I don't like his reads or his mechanics. Robertson has moments where he looks the part but I don't like him under pressure. Payton's got all the tools but when you watch that offense on third and long it's an adventure. And so on.

Basically all the big QBs outside of Mendoza look like they require ideal protections to do anything in the pass game. And all of them need some redshirting, some of them extensive redshirting.

Of the smaller QBs Simpson stands out in one way, that being his mechanics. Watching his drops he's like a metronome. But he doesn't have great arm strength, he has a very small sample size of starts, his production was good early in that small sample size and poor in the big games. And he panics to some extent under pressure which I do not like. I keep saying he's not head and shoulders above the smaller QBs and will say it again. Is he a fit for the Rams? Yes. Lot of coaches are going to value his mechanics and know that they don't have to screw with all that. You know what you're getting, which is a reasonably high floor where he'll be a QB2 for you at the very least, and if he does the work maybe you get a poor man's Brees as his early film he is a small guy who clearly wins from the pocket. He threw well, but I don't think he's got anything special in his arm, he's in the "just enough" range which means on deep outs and the like he must be on time, no gunning it late for him at this level.

The second standout for me was Klubnik, which was not a surprise. I think everyone is sleeping on Klubnik, and in combination of everyone being a bit too high on Simpson you end up with a large perceived gap that to my eye is simply not there. Klubnik has the best pocket feel in this QB class. I lost count how many times he had to make a rusher miss in the pocket and he usually succeeded in that venture. Or how many times he was moved off his spot, as his protections were terrible. He made some dumb decisions. He had no run game. And he had a terrible defense on the other side so there was always pressure on them to score. His overall production came up short but the reason I like him so much is there was no panic. He dealt with it and has some good film outside of his dumb decision moments. And he's got more arm than most of these smallish QBs. Let's see he also measured in as 6'2" which means he's average QB height. That plus his movement ability and quick processing I'd say he's a borderline starter at the NFL level, I think worst case he's a QB2 but he has a chance to start. He's my QB choice of this class because we can get him midrounds and he's a perfect fit in this offense.

Nussmeier all I can say is he at least showed his arm is "back" to what it was. I'm still a bit traumatized by the throws he had where his ball faded so badly. I think he has to put a lot of body into his throws to get to the "just enough" range. So this is just of course my opinion, and I don't have the advantage of seeing him live, but I think he's a QB2 at this level because he's below average in his arm strength. He like Klubnik had a terrible amount of things not go right around him in 2025, and in addition he also had significant injury that limited his ability to put his body into his throws. But he's smart and when he's healthy can process and distribute the ball, and shouldn't take too long to slide into that QB2 level. Where he fits the Rams is they could use a QB2 who can come in and execute the system, because they lose Garoppolo this offseason and Bennett next. So QB2 is a need and he checks a lot of boxes.

Altmyer will be a QB2 in the NFL. He's a limited talent but I really like his mentality and polish. I am sure McVay will like him as a guy who they can take with a cheap pick and then it saves them a QB2 cap hit for four years. He's got some comeback wins, so he's clearly a good leader in the huddle.

Pavia I will mention because he's going to go late round and like Nuss I don't think he's got enough arm to sustain at this level as a QB1, but his competitive drive is rare. This dude has something to him. Personally I'd be quite happy with the Rams taking him late round, then make him the holder on the field goal unit or the protector on punt team and you have an absolute stud for fakes when you want to run them. Also he's athletic so as a QB2 is the type of player who can come in and do special plays for you or give you a jump if he has to sub in for your QB1. I know some don't like the way he whined about the award. But for me that's young man learning how to handle things and the best thing about him is that insane competitiveness. So I'd like him in horns if we don't take a QB prior to that last pick.

The big question for the Rams is if they go with a QB will they opt for more polish and the QB2 floor, or will they go with the bigger size and longer redshirt. It's an interesting dynamic with this year's class.