Late Round Gems For the Los Angeles Rams

With the trade that sent the first overall pick to Los Angeles Rams, general manager Les Snead and company are now without a draft pick until the fourth round and not another pick inside the top 1o0. This means that in order to keep a decent roster, the Rams are going to have to find some players that are going to be able to contribute late.

While it isn’t impossible, it is more difficult to hit on players later in the draft. Misses at the top of the draft happen all the time, but it’s more likely to find a starter or contributor in the first, second, and even third round, than it is in the fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh round.

However, the Rams are left with no choice, they are going to have to find contributors outside of the top 100 if this trade up to the number one overall pick is going to work. The Rams have holes, and they are going to have to find a way to fill them and because they didnt do a lot in free agency, the draft is the only remaining option.

As mentioned above, the process isn’t going to be easy, however if Snead spends more time on the late round guys, it is possible that he does end up hitting on more of them. Left without picks in rounds one, two, and three, in his first three years in Philadelphia, former Rams coach Dick Vermeil built a championship team with late round picks.

Vermeil told me last year,

"“My first three years in the league, we didn’t have a first, second, or third round pick. They had been traded away, but we had great success in the fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh rounds, and on up, because we didn’t waste any time evaluating the superstars because we couldn’t draft them anyway. We invested more time in the so-called medium to late-round picks, and you know, we ended up hitting on more of them.”"

Getting the first overall pick right is key, but after that, hitting on the late picks in rounds four and six will be just as important. The Rams should know who they want at one therefore the focus should be on the late round guys.

One prospect that is very intriguing is wide receiver Paul McRoberts out Southeast Missouri State. McRoberts is a very intriguing wide receiver prospect that is projected to go somewhere in rounds four through seven. He probably won’t be there in the seventh round and most likely will go in the fifth.

The Southeastern Missouri receiver was a dual athlete having experience with basketball which has helped him at the receiver position. He plays with a tall frame and has a large catch radius and hands that allow him to make difficult catches.

He doesn’t have elite speed and as a late round player he is raw in his route-running, but if you want a guy with some upside in the later rounds who could potentially be a star if he can put it together consistently, McRoberts is a guy to keep an eye on.

Receiver is one position of need, but there is no question the Rams need some help when it comes to cornerback depth. They have Trumaine Johnson and EJ Gaines, and Marcus Roberson had his moments, but aside from that, Lamarcus Joyner hasn’t turned out to be the versatile player the Rams thought he would meaning they lack depth.

Deiondre Hall out of Northern Iowa is a player that fits what the Rams want to do on defense.  Long arms on a cornerback are extremely valuable on cornerbacks in today’s NFL and Hall has them. He isn’t timid to contact and is good in run support and tackling. He is also a playmaker as he broke a school record with four “pick-six’s”.

He doesn’t have the ideal frame of an NFL cornerback or safety and lacks the anticipation, but the fact that he is versatile and is a player that is physical, fitting what the Rams want to do, makes him a perfect fit. The Rams have had success with players out of Northern Iowa, and there is a good chance they could have good luck here if they drafted Hall.

At minimum Hall is a depth player that can develop into a starter, much like EJ Gaines did in his rookie year. Hall is a day two or day three player and if the Rams get the opportunity, it might be worth to pull the trigger. Heck, he can’t be that bad, the Rams just extended the exact player NFL.com compared him to…Trumaine Johnson.

There is no question the Rams must search for a receiving tight end in this draft as they cut Jared Cook this offseason for good reasons. However, Lance Kendricks is not going to scare defenses with his receiving ability.

Tyler Higbee out of Western Kentucky  is an incredible receiving tight end which is much to do with the fact that he started his career as a receiver. With his combination of size and speed he is even a tough cover for safeties at times. Unlike Cook, Higbee’s receiving experience has given his good hands allows him to hold onto the ball when making catches in traffic, and he is good at getting open underneath zone defenses to make the catch and then turn up field. The Rams are going to seat a “security-blanket” for their rookie quarterback and Higbee very well could develop into that.

He isn’t the perfect tight-end as like Cook he isn’t a great blocker yet, however, a lot of that is due to his inexperience at tight-end.  Higbee also has some injury and off the field concerns, but aside from that, he has enough raw talent raise eye-brows.

Higbee is a player that should be available in the fourth round and the Rams just happen to have two picks in that round. Having a receiving tight end is important in today’s NFL which is why drafting the 6’5 Higbee should be something the Rams should consider.

The Rams are going to have to try and find some gems in the later rounds who will have a chance to contribute in 2016. McRoberts, Hall, and Higbee are all players with upside that the Rams can find on day 2 and three.