LA Rams grab DE Earnest Brown IV but at cost of these players

When the LA Rams picked Northwestern DE Earnest Brown IV with the 174th pick of the fifth round, they signalled their intentions to turn up the heat on opposing quarterbacks this upcoming season.

As the Rams continue to look to augment the depth along their defensive front, especially after the recent departures of both Michael Brockers and Morgan Fox, they draft a guy who could conceivably replace the role of either one. A two-for-one pick. That’s the definition of value.

And that precisely why Day Three of the draft is so important for team building. Two-thirds of NFL rosters are comprised of players taken on, or after this point in the draft.  While players taken here may not be starters right away, their worth, their value, and contributions to your team are well, invaluable.

The NFL season was long and arduous. Attrition will exact its toll as the season grinds on.  And the league added a 17th game to the schedule. Depth is even more critical to a team’s success. And while players taken here may not necessarily start, they have to be ready to start should their number get called to step up and step in. Players who provide support for your team by underpinning key positions matter.

At six-foot-four and 270 pounds, the Rams nab a player in Brown who can dial up some blitz pressure and exploiting gaps to flush the quarterback from the pocket or thump him. And that’s exactly how NFL.com described Brown, as a “4-3 defensive end with NFL size and power.”

His NFL comp is most often cited as being New England Patriots defensive end Deatrich Wise, Jr.

Of course, with every defensive player chosen, the Rams continue to look past their needs at the offensive line. OG Trey Smith, OC Michal Menet, and OT Stone Forsythe remained on the board.  And of course, other defensive players remained as well, like CB Shakur Brown, OLB Charles Snowden, and even LB Dylan Moses was there awaiting a phone call.

Not quite sure if his selection prompts new defensive coordinator Raheem Morris to have an excuse to jump into the Malibu Draft House pool in celebration, but he certainly gives him a new weapon, a new defensive chess piece to gameplan and toy with.