How would LA Rams look if team held their 7 2019 NFL Draft picks?

Bret Stuter

(Photo by Jon Durr/Getty Images)

NFL Draft Los Angeles Rams — (Photo by Jon Durr/Getty Images)

The LA Rams entered the 2019 NFL Draft with seven picks. How different would the team have been had they simply held those picks and not traded?

The LA Rams entered the 2019 NFL Draft with seven picks, made six trades, and emerged with eight players. While the Rams certainly found some key players in the 2019 NFL Draft, what would the team have looked like had the team held onto their original picks and simply chosen at picks : 31, 94, 99, 133, 169, 203, and 251?

Kenny Rodgers once cut a song entitled “The Gambler” to the top of the charts. One line from that song – “You’ve got to know when to hold ’em, know when to fold ’em. Know when to walk away, and know when to run.” has a message for many aspects of life. So in keeping with that song, let’s delve into the “hold ’em” scenario.

Of course, with any “what if?” story, the first change to that draft with the Rams choosing a differing player than one selected, or even changing the team making that selection, changes every pick afterwards. So rather than foolishly reviewing the 2019 NFL Draft, and applying the unfair advantage of “The Rams should have selected…” arguments, we will simply review who was taken at that pick, and who was still on the board who may have filled a known team need entering the 2019 NFL Draft.

There has been some debate over whether the Rams should trade up in the draft to get “their guy”, stay put, or trade back. The science behind the random chance nature of the NFL Draft favors trading back. However, if a team is incredibly astute of identifying the perfect fit for the team, then chances improve to a point where it should be similar value regardless of where the team picks.

So let’s test the theory on the real world experience of the 2019 NFL Draft. We know that the Rams traded six times leading up to and during the draft. How would the team have looked at they stayed

So let’s look at each original pick and analyze what “might have been”:

Round 1 Pick 31

Selected player Atlanta Falcons selected OT Kaleb McGary from the University of Washington. His Pro Football Focus 2019 rating was 53. For comparison purposes, the Rams rookie offensive linemen OT Bobby Evans graded at nearly the same level at 49.4, while rookie OT David Edwards graded out at an impressive 61.0.

Round 3 Pick 94

Selected player Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected cornerback Jamel Dean from Auburn University. He graded very well for the Buccaneers, scoring a grade of 76.4. For comparative purposes, the LA Rams own CB Troy Hill scored a similar grade for 2019 of 76.4.

Who was still on the board? Safety Chauncer Gardner-Johnson from the University of Florida, who was selected at 105 by the New Orleans Saints. He was a steal in round four, as he graded among the NFL’s top 20 in passer rating allowed (85.1, 19th) , as well as yards allowed when he played in the slot per snap (0.79, 13th) His 2019 grade from PFF at 80.5 PFF grade is the fifth-best among all players at that alignment.

Player Rams selected as a result of the trade: The Rams had transacted a significant number of trades by this point, trading back twice, only to reverse course and trade up to 70 to select RB Darrell Henderson from Memphis University. Henderson did not land as many opportunities as hoped for in his rookie season, and graded out at 61.8 by PFF for 2019.

Round 3 Pick 99

Selected player Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected safety Mike Edwards from the University of Kentucky. While he was an adequate player from round three, he has room to grow. He graded out by PFF at 58.2 for his rookie season. For comparison purposes, LA Rams rookie Taylor Rapp graded at 64.5 for 2019.

Who was still on the board? Defensive end Maxx Crosby out of Eastern Michigan was selected by the Oakland Raiders at pick 106. Crosby started out the 2019 NFL season slowly, but finished in style. He recorded 47 tackles, 10.5 sacks, and two forced fumbles.

Player Rams selected as a result of the trade: The Rams third pick of the 2019 draft was cornerback David Long. Long was selected 20 picks sooner at 79, and arrived to the Rams to compete for the slot cornerback role. Long’s rookie grades by PFF in 2019 scored at 67.4, a great scored for a rookie cornerback.

FOXBOROUGH, MA – SEPTEMBER 22: Jarrett Stidham #4 of the New England Patriots prepares to throw during the fourth quarter of a game against the New York Jets at Gillette Stadium on September 22, 2019 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Billie Weiss/Getty Images)

Round 4 Pick 133

Selected player New England Patriots selected quarterback Jarrett Stidham from Auburn University. Stidham simply did not see much playing time at all, and only generated a PFF grade of 27.2 for his rookie season. Still, that likely was just fine for the Patriots, who boast soon-to-be-free-agent quarterback Tom Brady.

Who was still on the board? Tight end Foster Moreau from LSU was selected by the Oakland Raiders at 137. Moreau was a not a heavily used target for the Raiders passing game, but he caught 21 of 23 passes heading his way for 174 yards and five touchdowns. Moreau’s PFF grade scored at 70.6 for his rookie season.

Player Rams selected as a result of the trade: The LA Rams addressed the offensive line with their fourth pick of the 2019 NFL Draft, selecting OT Bobby Evans from Oklahoma at pick 97. While he only allowed 1 sack in 2019, Evans scored a lukewarm PFF grade of 49.4 for his rookie season.

LA Rams David Edwards — (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

Round 5 Pick 169

Selected player Los Angeles Rams selected offensive tackle Dave Edwards from the University of Wisconsin. He was expected to remain on the bench throughout his rookie season, but repeated injuries to the offensive line forced the Rams to promote him to a starting role sooner than the team had planned to do so.

More from Ramblin' Fan

Edwards responded by playing rather admirably, scoring a grade of 61 from PFF in 2019. He allowed one quarterback sack and was penalized just eight times his first year.

Who was still on the board? Quarterback Gardner Minshew from Washington State University was selected later at 178 by the Jacksonville Jaguars. While there were many quarterbacks selected in 2019, Minshew was arguably the best of breed in 2019. Minshew was a natural behind center, and was even more impressive in his mastery of the Jaguars offense after veteran quarterback Nick Foles fell to an early season injury.

Player Rams selected as a result of the trade: As reported above, the Rams held the 169 pick, and wisely chose offensive lineman David Edwards.

Round 6 Pick 203

Selected player Atlanta Falcons selected wide receiver Marcus Green from Louisianna-Monroe University. Green never played a down in 2019, but was signed to the Philadelphia Eagles practice squad in September 2019.

Who was still on the board? Center Patrick Mekari from the California Golden Bears, who signed on as an undrafted free agent with the Baltimore Ravens. He took over at starting center in week 12, and put on quite an impressive display. He played in 431 offensive snaps, and never allowed a single sack. He even graded at 70.5 for his efforts by PFF for the 2019 season.

Player Rams selected as a result of the trade: The LA Rams selected safety Nick Scott from Penn State University with the 243 pick. Scott did not see much action in 2019, but did earn a respectable 66.9 grade from PFF for his 2019 season.

Round 7 Pick 251

Selected player LA Rams selected linebacker Dakota Allen from Texas Tech. Allen did not see playing time in 2019, which negated any chance for a PFF grade for his rookie season.

Who was still on the board? Defensive tackle Shy Tuttle from the University of Tennessee, who signed as an undrafted free agent with the New Orleans Saints. He saw action as part of the Saints DL

Player Rams selected as a result of the trade: This was the Rams original pick.

NEW YORK, NY – APRIL 25: Tavon Austin (R) of West Virginia Mountaineers reacts with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell as they hold up a jersey on stage after Austin was picked #8 overall by the St. Louis Rams in the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall on April 25, 2013 in New York City. (Photo by Chris Chambers/Getty Images)

Summary

Each year there is a buildup to hype the top draft choices taken. But after one season, the proof is in the pudding. Teams which seemed to truly know their NFL Draft boards were the teams that did better than the league average. Raw talent is only one component to a successful NFL career. Other components include attitude, work ethic, willingness to be coached, coaching staff, opportunity, and the quality of players on your team.

Ultimately, professional football remains a team sport. So finding the right “fit” remains in play from the first pick to the last undrafted free agent signed.

All in all, trading back for the Rams did not seem to hurt the team much in 2019. The Rams actually added an additional pick last year, and should be open to doing so again this year. There will continue to be NFL caliber talent from round one to the ranks of undrafted free agents each year. While some view a successful draft class as entirely dependent upon the skills of the talent scouts and personnel executives, many believe it more appropriately based upon the random nature of a game of chance.

In that light, sitting on the initial draft picks may not be in a team’s best interest.

There’s plenty of work to do before the 2020 NFL Draft. And of course, that means a lot of information to share in the meantime.

Bret Stuter

Bret Stuter is the site expert for Ramblin Fan who has covered the Los Angeles Rams for 5 years. Swept up into loving professional sports from a family that listened to games on the radio, he is at home cheering for HC Sean McVay and the Rams. Articles have been featured on B/R, Fox Sports, CBS Sports, Sporting News, and Washington Post. Bret loves to fish, and watch games at sports bars over pizza.