Taylor Rapp has great long-term potential for Rams on defense

After numerous trades, the Los Angeles finally made their first pick in the 2019 NFL Draft by going with Taylor Rapp out of Washington.

It took a little longer than expected after trading down twice, but the Los Angeles Rams finally made their first selection of the 2019 NFL Draft by going with Washington’s Taylor Rapp to help fill the need at safety.

At No. 61, the Rams knew they would have plenty of great options to consider since there would be plenty of valuable picks in the second round, and selecting Rapp helps add depth to the safety position after losing Lamarcus Joyner this offseason.

As great as it was to see Los Angeles sign Eric Weddle to help fill the void left by Joyner, the Rams knew the veteran safety was always going to be a short-term answer since he may only have two or three good years at best left in him.

Now that Rapp is part of the picture, the good news for the Rams is their new young safety can learn a ton from his new teammate in Weddle since his veteran leadership is going to play a key role in the rookie’s development process.

From his framework to impressive skills covering opponents one-on-one, Rapp certainly brings a lot to the table for the Rams, and while patience will be key here, it’s the long-term potential that Los Angeles should be most excited about.

While the Rams have established a reputation for having one of the league’s most high-powered offenses, the defense still needs to come through on their end as well since competing in the NFC West is going to be far from easy moving forward.

Give Los Angeles plenty of credit for wasting little time addressing the safety position with their first selection of the draft so they can use the remaining picks in other areas, whether it happens to be the offensive line or even another running back as insurance to Todd Gurley.

Being patient until the No. 61 pick may have been frustrating at times for some fans anxious to see who their beloved team would end up going with, but Rapp seems well worth the wait.

Now that safety is taken care of with Rapp, the focus becomes what Los Angeles will end up doing with all four picks in the third round.