Needless to say, Nick Foles did not work out like the Rams had hoped. Stripped away from the offensive comforts of Philadelphia, Foles floundered in 11 games this past season. He completed just 56.4 percent of his passes while averaging a lifeless 186.5 passing yards per game and threw seven touchdowns against ten interceptions. His passer rating of 69.0 ranked 33rd in the league, well behind fellow underachievers Colin Kaepernick (78.5), Sam Bradford (86.4) and Ryan Tannehill (88.7).
With the Rams officially relocating to Los Angeles and head coach Jeff Fisher racking up four consecutive seasons under .500, this franchise desperately needs to make a splash. Could that come in the form of Memphis quarterback Paxton Lynch? ESPN NFL Draft Insider Mel Kiper Jr. thinks so as he projects the Rams to select Lynch with the No. 15 overall pick in the 2016 draft.
"The Rams are arguably at square one at the QB position, which is a shame given the talent elsewhere on the roster," Kiper wrote. "Do I think Lynch is a Week 1 starter? Absolutely not. Do I think he has significant upside and would be a potential starter in year 2 with a roster still on the rise? Sure. St. Louis will have their eyes open in free agency and the trade market for immediate help, but Lynch could be the future."
Lynch was previously considered the top QB prospect in this year's draft before Cal's Jared Goff surpassed him thanks to a phenomenal Bowl performance. Still, Lynch offers plenty to be excited about.
The junior signal-caller completed 66.8 percent of his passes this year while throwing for 3,776 yards with 28 touchdowns against just four interceptions. At 6-foot-7 and 245 pounds, Lynch is a powerful and big-framed QB with rare physical tools at his disposal.
"With continued development, Lynch could be this year's version of Blake Bortles if he declares for the draft - a prospect from the non-Power 5 conferences who checks a lot of boxes for NFL evaluators in an average quarterback class," Rob Rang of CBS Sports wrote.
