Los Angeles Rams: Grading the John Kelly selection in the 2018 NFL Draft

The Los Angeles Rams add a running back in the 2018 NFL Draft. It’s a good pick, as the workload on Todd Gurley will be significant again this season.

The Los Angeles Rams have made some smart offensive investments in the 2018 NFL Draft. After going back to back with selections for Wade Phillips and his defense, head coach Sean McVay turned to his offense and for some backup relief for OPOY, running back Todd Gurley.

John Kelly is a solid running back from the University of Tennessee.

Kelly is 5’-10” and 216 lbs.

Kelly was a top running back coming out of high school in Michigan. As a freshman at Tennessee, he played in 10 games, where he rushed for 166 yards and had one touchdown.

One thing Rams fans will like about him is that he’s a good pass catcher out of the backfield, sometime Gurley really developed in his game last year. Even though Kelly is on the smaller side, he’s a tough runner who can be used on all three downs if McVay needs him to be. He’s a running back capable of taking some punishment, as any back in the SEC will testify too, so translating to the NFL game won’t be an issue.

If there is a knock on him, it is his size and that fact his speed isn’t of the burner variety.

This is a good pick for LA. Gurley is looking for a big season as he heads into year four of his rookie deal. He can also look forward to a significant workload as he did in 2017. The Rams looking for some options in 2018 and beyond is smart.

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General Manager Les Snead and McVay have done a good job in this draft of being balanced in their approach. Getting some help in the backfield is another example of something this Rams franchise continues to be: balanced.

LA earns a B- for their selection of John Kelly.