NFL Draft 2021: Grading LA Rams 3 draft-day trades

It was a safe presumption that the LA Rams were very open to the possibility of trading back in the 2021 NFL Draft. The LA Rams entered with six picks, but the team’s past practices had indicated that number was simply not enough picks to address all of the team’s needs.  So even with the first pick at 57, the LA Rams were vigilant shoppers. Throughout the draft, the team wanted to play more picks than dealt.

Of course, trades required two NFL teams. Typically, the team placing the call is the one who pays a premium or is the team that objectively gives up more to the other team. And with the LA Rams holding a hand of just six picks starting at the 57th pick of the draft, the random nature of the draft would be more of a factor as to how popular the Rams’ picks were in the trade market.

Luckily, this draft was less predictable than drafts of the past. Top draft picks fell frequently, while multiple less-regarded players were pulled off the draft board long before anyone expected them to be. Yes, the Rams were one of the teams who drafted in a way that clearly was not the same ranking as that of draft analysts or pundits.

Now the question is, how did the Rams do? Was the urgency of multiplying picks so great that the Rams left value on the table? The presumption in any transaction is that the two teams emerged with equivalent, if not equal, value. Is that what took place this year? Let’s take a look.

Trade 1

The first trade of the draft for the LA Rams was shockingly a trade with the rival San Francisco 49ers. I’m convinced that the Rams did not have many options due to the trade partner and the return value of this trade.  Sometimes it happens that way.  The Rams did not value the options of draftable players at the 88th pick and wanted out.

The LA Rams traded the 88th pick of the 2021 NFL Draft, a round-three pick (valued at 150) to the San Franciso 49ers for the 117th pick and 121st pick, both of which are round-four picks (valued at 60 and 52 for a combined value of 112). In terms of value from the Drafttek trade value chart?  The Rams gave away their 88th pick and got the value of the 97th pick of the draft.

The result of that trade allowed the 49ers to grab RB Trey Simmons (6.18 grade per NFL.com). He is a 6-foot-0 215-pound running back who hails from Ohio State. He will most certainly be added to the 49ers running back committee fairly quickly and has the ability to be effective as a receiver in the passing game as well.

The LA Rams used the 117th pick of the draft to land an impressive defensive tackle Bobby Brown III (6.21 grade per NFL.com). While the Rams may have surrendered value with the trade itself, the fact is that I think Brown’s upside is at least comparable to that of Simmons in terms of NFL play. And then the Rams had that 121st pick as well. What of it? Well, it became a chip in the next Rams’ trade.

Rams Grade: B+

Trade 2

The next trade for the LA Rams occurred with a familiar trade partner, the Jacksonville Jaguars. Of course, the Jaguars benefitted in the 2021 NFL Draft with the Rams first-round pick (25th pick of the draft) and the Rams fourth-round pick (130th pick of the draft).  Is it possible that the Rams had an emotional attachment to their original fourth-round pick?

The LA Rams traded two picks – pick 121 (round four) (valued at 62) and pick 209 (round six) (valued at 6.2) for picks 130 (round four) (valued at 42) pick 170 (round five) (valued at 21.8) and pick 249 (round seven) (valued at 1.0). Aggregate value from the Drafttek chart? Rams got 64.8 and surrendered 68.2. While the Rams emerged with less, the dramatic difference was not nearly as pronounced in this exchange.

So who did the Jaguars draft with the two picks from the LA Rams? With the 121st pick of the draft, the Jaguars landed a 6-foot-6 255-pound edge rusher from the University of Alabama at Birmingham named Jordan Smith (6.15-grade per NFL.com).  The Jags used the 209th pick to select a 6-foot-2 220-pound wide receiver from Georgia Tech named Jalen Camp (5.83-grade per NFL.com)

In return, the LA Rams used the 130th pick of the draft (their original fourth-round pick) to select a 6-foot-0 193-pound cornerback from Central Arkansas named Robert Rochell (6.25 grade per NFL.com) and the 249th pick of the draft to select a 6-foot-3 220-pound wide receiver/tight end from Notre Dame named Ben Skowronek (5.86 grade per NFL.com).  In comparison, the LA Rams seem to continue to leave ‘pick value’ on the table, but more than makes up for it with more highly regarded players. Oh. What about that other pick? The 170th pick of the draft? Well, the Rams used that in their third and final trade of the draft.

I love the fact that the LA Rams doubled back around to reclaim their fourth-round pick in this draft. What a Les Snead move!  And yes, I laughed out load when the details of this trade went down.

Rams Grade: A+

Trade 3

The LA Rams traded for the third and final time in the 2021 NFL Draft with another familiar trade partner, this time with the Houston Texans. The Texans you may recall traded their 2020 second-round pick to the LA Rams for WR Brandin Cooks and the LA Rams 2022 fourth-round pick, a pick that will convey to the Texans next year. Of course, Cooks put up solid numbers for the Texans this year, which is likely one of the contributing factors for the Rams to re-evaluate the quarterback play.

In this exchange, the Rams traded the round-four 170th pick of the draft (value of 21.8) for the Texans round-four 174th pick of the draft (value of 20.2) and the round-seven 233rd pick of the draft (value 1.0).  Of all of the Rams trades, this exchange was nearly equal, in that the Rams received 21.2 value for 21.8 value per the Drafttek trade value chart.

So who did the Texans end up selecting? Well, they added a 6-foot-2 220-pound inside linebacker Garret Wallow (5.80 grade from NFL.com)from nearby Texas Christian University (TCU). While a bit raw, he has a good foundation and mindset to expect further development. He, like many players chosen by the Rams, is expected to compete immediately for a special teams’ role with the Texans.

The LA Rams drafted a 6-foot-5 270-pound defensive end named Earnest Brown IV out of Northwestern. Brown (5.80 grade from NFL.com) has NFL pro size and muscle mass. He is a curious fit on the Rams defense who had lost a very productive Morgan Fox.  With the 233rd pick, the Rams draft another running back, a 5-foot-10 205-pound rusher named Jake Funk from the University of Maryland.

I did not like this pick on draft day. But I’m warming up to it rapidly. Jake Funk (5.69-grade per NFL.com) is not just a run-the-football-through-the-hole sort of player.  While he is another running back to compete for rushes, he is also a very dangerous coverage player on special teams. He is even a very accomplished receiver out of the backfield.

In each of the trades, the Rams seemed to be willing to surrender the value of the picks themselves in order to have more selections from the draft. Then? The Rams showed that they have a fine eye for selecting rookies. While many of you may not be there yet, it seems that the Rams had a solid draft plan in place all along.

Rams Grade: B+