Rams get another pass rusher on defense after selecting Greg Gaines in fourth round

After pulling off another trade, the Los Angeles Rams moved up in the fourth round to land Greg Gaines from Washington.

Since Ndamukong Suh ended up being too expensive to bring back for another season, the Los Angeles Rams were expected to look to the 2019 NFL Draft to add another playmaker to the defensive line.

Even though they didn’t start off the day with a pick in the fourth round, the Rams decided to pull off another trade with the New England Patriots to move up to No. 134 to select Washington defensive tackle Greg Gaines.

Coincidentally, this happens to be the second selection from Washington for the NFC champions after Los Angeles decided to use their first pick of the draft (Round 2) at safety with Taylor Rapp to help fill the void left by Lamarcus Joyner.

Talent wise, Gaines isn’t anywhere close to Suh since the veteran defensive tackle has proven to be one of a kind player, but this doesn’t mean the potential isn’t there for the rookie.

Between his impressive motor skills along with ability to break through blocks, this appears to be a great selection for the Rams to add another potential weapon on defense with the chance to make an impact right away as a rookie.

Even if the argument can be made that Los Angeles didn’t need to trade up for Gaines since he was projected to go in one of the final two rounds, it’s always better to be safe than sorry in the NFL.

When it comes to doing their homework in regards to evaluating talent, the Rams have proven to be one of the best in the business with Sean McVay and Les Snead.

Clearly, Gaines must have been a player they had on their radar for weeks, and it will be exciting to see how the defensive tackle makes the transition to the NFL now that he will be joining a defense run by Wade Phillips.

Plus, with the Rams arguably having the most dangerous defensive player the NFL has to offer in Aaron Donald, this will give Gaines an opportunity to learn from the back-to-back Defensive Player of the Year winner.

All things considered, as crazy things have been at times over the last few days with all the trades, the Rams are having a successful draft so far, and the best part is they still have a few more picks to make.