LA Rams draft Nagy’s choices Creed and Cooper in latest mock

Virginia’s versatile backer

With the 141st pick of the 2021 NFL Draft, the LA Rams select linebacker Charles Snowden from the University of Virginia. And with this pick, the Rams truly gamble upon the tremendous potential of an athletically gifted player who needs to bulk up for NFL durability.

Seriously, this linebacker is 6-foot-7 and weighs 232-pounds. He has the size for an edge rusher but has the strength and length to play a 4-3 SAM (strongside linebacker) role.  The Rams could use someone who can line up on the same side as the offensive tight end and be responsible for covering the tight end or running back on pass plays.

LA hybrid ILB/OLB role?

That versatility gives him a chance to take on ILB/OLB Justin Hollins role. Right now, he is projected like an undersized edge rusher. He certainly has the reach and length to be a problem for quarterbacks even if he’s ridden in a wide arc. So how is this young linebacker undersized? Well, at 6-foot-7, his frame should carry the weight at 270-pounds. At 232, he is more gazelle than a rhino, and that does not bode well for his early success in the NFL.

His length is simply dramatic, and it’s that length of body and corresponding reach that will pose problems to opposing quarterbacks. Refined, his long outstretched paws could strip the ball from a passer’s hands as he winds up to throw, not to mention bat down a few throws. He is a stretcho, a young man who can extend his arms beyond expectations to disrupt the quarterback’s windup.

That kind of arm extension is extremely useful at getting to the quarterback, and clogging passing lanes to frustrate the throw.