LA Rams complete draft day two with talented ILB at 103

The LA Rams entered day two of the 2021 NFL Draft with heaping mounds of optimism. The Rams had to sit out the first day of picks in the draft, but much like the smells of a long-awaited feast, it all served to add to the ravenous appetite of the fans who had little to cheer in free agency.

The Rams lost out on all of the offensive center options in this draft that made sense. The teams used their 57th pick to select a speedy Louisville wide receiver named Tutu Atwell. The team then traded out of their 88th pick, instead opting to pick up two fourth-round picks (117 and 121) at a deep discount per draft value chart.

The team has needs all over the defense: cornerback, defensive line, outside linebacker, and inside linebacker. So which position is the most unlikely? Well, it’s South Carolina ILB Ernest Jones.

I didn’t see this one coming. So who is he?

Well, his NFL comparison is Rams ILB Micah Kiser. Hmm.  Let’s look further.  He is a 6-foot-2 230-pound inside linebacker who is a physical player who loves to lay a thump on somebody. He is a team captain and led the Gamecocks in tackles and he is touted as a stud on special teams in coverage.

He played 26 games with the South Carolina Gamecocks, and he recorded 199 tackles with 10.5 tackles for a loss and two quarterback sacks.  He also hauled in two interceptions and defended five passes.

He has upside for sure. But as to his key to contributing to the team’s 53-man roster appears to be via special teams play. By arriving at the Rams late in round three, the Rams have finally invested into the linebacker position. He is absolutely a run defender, and the Rams will need to pair him up with a pass-defending interior linebacker to run a solid 3-4 defense.

I need to do more research on Jones to have a more qualified opinion on him. It is clear that the LA Rams data did not align with the pre-draft data I was working with. I didn’t see Ernest Jones coming to the Rams in round three. In fact, I’ll need to gather my thoughts, as I truly did not see either Tutu Atwell or Ernest Jones coming off the draft by any team on day two.