Cooper Kupp praises Stetson Bennett, takes playful shot at Matthew Stafford
Stetson Bennett is finding himself at home in LA after being drafted by the Rams in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL Draft.
Rams star wideout Cooper Kupp was asked what his initial thoughts were on the two-time national championship-winning quarterback — and Kupp pulled no punches in his response. Though, it wasn’t at Bennett’s expense.
“He’s definitely the most athletic quarterback from Georgia that we’ve got on our team,” Kupp said.
Kupp’s jab is a reference to Los Angeles QB1 Matthew Stafford, who also played his college ball between the hedges in Athens. To be fair, Stafford’s game has always been more comfortable in the pocket. Bennett has sneaky athleticism and was known for breaking free on both designed runs and scrambling for chunk plays from time to time.
Bennett has drawn praise throughout his career for his underrated mobility, as he rarely gets sacked and can do some real damage outside of the pocket. On top of that, he has good timing on his throws and has proven his ability to look through progressions as a pro-style passer.
The new Rams QB is arguably the most prolific quarterback of the College Football Playoff era, having won back-to-back national titles with the Bulldogs — which ended a 40-year national title drought for Georgia.
Over his last two seasons in Athens, Bennett threw for 6,990 yards and 56 touchdowns as he helped the Bulldogs become the new gold standard of college football. This past year, he set a new career high with 4,128 passing yards to go with 27 touchdowns in the air in addition to his 205 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground as part of the run game.
Stafford was never able to bring a title to Athens, but he’s done one better. In his first season with the Rams in 2022, Stafford led his team — with the aid of Cooper Kupp — to a Super Bowl victory over the Cincinnati Bengals.
Still, it’s hard to argue with the numbers Bennett has put up under center in Athens over the past two years. He is a proven winner, but many find it hard to see him as a full-time starting quarterback in the NFL.
With the Rams signing Stafford to a deal through at least the 2025 season, Bennett will at least have to wait until then before he might get an actual shot at LA’s starting job. Of course, Bennett is only getting started in his NFL career — and it’s almost certain that Bennett will get a fair share of snaps during the Ram’s preseason games.