The Rams, even if they wanted to select Jaxson Dart with the 26th overall pick, may not have the opportunity to do so after a recent mock draft revealed how popular Dart has become -- with the chances of him going top-10 to the Saints.
Even if Dart fell out of the top-10, many analysts seem to have Dart projected to still go highly in next month's draft; potentially in the top-20 picks.
However, the Saints would be a perfect fit for the Ole Miss gunslinger. New head coach Kellen Moore designed an offense that helped a dual-threat QB who likes to loft the ball win a Super Bowl in Jalen Hurts.
Dart would not need to start right away as Derek Carr is still under contract and is more than serviceable. Carr is already a well-liked member of the organization, but not well-liked enough that there would be an issue if Dart was named starter.
The Saints do not have a win-now mentality and they have a culture where they are still trying to find their identity in the post-Sean Payton era. There would be very few teams that would be willing to keep Dennis Allen as a head coach for three years or Mickey Loomis as general manager for as long as he's been there, despite having his draft record.
Thus Dart doesn't need to have success right away, giving him a chance to fail, to learn, and to grow before New Orleans begins to even think about moving off of him.
Dart is also entering a division full of gunslingers but teams who do not have complete rosters. Thus the NFC South remains up for grabs despite Tampa Bay's hold over the division crown.
While it's not ideal for the Rams to not grab Dart if they want him, especially if he's going to a team in the same conference, it's not the end of the world.
The Rams will have to look elsewhere for a successor to Matthew Stafford if they wish to add one but considering what they have in Jimmy Garoppolo, if Dart does get drafted early, the Rams might as well stay off quarterbacks for right now.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/rams/ as Potential Rams' Target Jaxson Dart Sees Stock Rise.