Los Angeles Rams: John Kelly will benefit Todd Gurley in backfield

After the Los Angeles Rams used one of their draft picks on running back John Kelly, this should benefit Todd Gurley the most in the backfield.

To say the Los Angeles Rams saved the best for last on the final day of the 2018 NFL Draft would be a huge understatement when looking at how busy the NFC West champions have been. After only having one pick over the first two days of the draft, the Rams ended up being one of the busiest teams on Day 3 with their 10 picks, one of which happened to be running back John Kelly.

With the No. 176 pick in the sixth round, Los Angeles selected the former Tennessee star running back, and when considering that Tavon Austin is no longer part of the picture, Kelly seems like he’s going to be a great fit for this offense. Since Austin was unable to live up to the hype as a speedy wideout, Sean McVay did his best to make the former first-round pick a valuable part of the ground game with a few trickery plays every once in a while throughout the 2017 season, but without question, Kelly will end up being the much better option.

While there are plenty of scouts that believe Kelly is too undersized to succeed at the NFL level, Los Angeles wasn’t going to let this factor stand in the way of bringing the rookie on board. After seeing the toughness Kelly brings to the table as a runner along with the way he’s able to work his way through defenders, it’s exciting to think about the kind of plays that McVay is going to draw up for his new backup running back.

Obviously, just because Kelly is part of the picture doesn’t mean there’s any reason for Gurley to be concerned since there’s a reason why the former Georgia star finished second last season to Tom Brady in the MVP race. If anything, Gurley and the Rams should be thrilled over the addition of Kelly to help take some of the pressure off the workhorse in the backfield, even if it doesn’t always seem like he needs it.

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Numbers wise, Kelly may not stick out like some of the other running backs from this year’s draft class, but also keep in mind there’s a reason why he was originally projected to fall in the fourth round. All things considered, Los Angeles must have been thrilled to see Kelly still available at the beginning of the sixth round, and not only will this addition benefit Gurley, but also provide Malcolm Brown with a little competition for the backup role.