The LA Rams drafted like the NFL’s version of Moneyball

The LA Rams made their way to the draft podium The audience turned their NFL Draft trackers to the offensive line prospects. Which one would it be? The air was thick with anticipation. Would it be the Oklahoma center who lit up the competition at the Senior Bowl? Creed Humphrey? Or would it be the lumberjack version of center in Quinn Meinerz, the young man who popped onto everyone’s radar screen?

And yet, as the LA Rams named 5-foot-9 155-pound (or is it 165-pound per the Rams official player roster?) Tutu Atwell (5.97 grade per NFL.com), the wide receiver from the University of Louisville, as their first pick and 57th pick of the 2021 NFL Draft, jaws dropped. Some tried to make sense of it. Others threw up their hand at it. Others raged about it. And then, it went downhill from there.  But there is another lens for this draft class that may help you to see everything from a new perspective.

Check out this video clip from Moneyball. This is the analytics application to baseball, but the same holds true to the Rams current draft selection? Now before you go to the video, try this. Imagine that Brad Pitt is LA Rams GM Les Snead, and you’ll find yourself understanding what we’re saying here.

In Moneyball, the application of data analytics is applied to building a baseball team’s roster. It’s the tale of the Oakland Athletics and based on a book by Michael Lewis, Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game.  It’s the story of Oakland Athletics general manager Billy Beane and his adopting baseball sabermetrics to assemble the team’s roster.

Now, let’s focus upon the LA Rams 2021 NFL Draft with the same discernment. The Rams could not compete with other NFL teams, because other teams have more picks. So the Rams must be smarter with their picks. They drafted for niche players who they do not have on their roster. They set about to find those quality players who were overlooked using traditional and historical evaluation methods.

The Atwell paradigm

For a basic example, let’s focus on the bane of the Rams 2021 NFL Draft. What of Tutu Atwell? Sure, if you haven’t heard, he’s smaller than the typical NFL wide receiver. But Tutu Atwell is more than just “TuFew’ or as another coined him ‘Antwell’.  Want some good news about this guy?

That’s what we’re talking about here.  A wide receiver who has zero drops. A wide receiver who has a 123.4 passer rating when targeted. And here comes Matthew Stafford. Don’t believe me? How about the testimony of former NFL wide receiver Chad Johnson, whose testimony is since and heartfelt. He loves Atwell. Atwell is that incredibly fast ball receiver who will blow the back end off of defenses with lightning speed before they know it.

As soon as defenses adjust? The Rams will work their intermediate routes. Perhaps the Rams drafted Atwell for what he will do for the team, not just what he himself will do. Imagine the Rams putting both DeSean Jackson and Tutu Atwell on the field simultaneously. Can you imagine the nightmares that will cause defenses?

Okay, so you aren’t sold yet? Just wait until the Rams turn him loose and he takes one to the house.  Whose house? RamsHouse! It’s not just on him. It’s how he blends with the other players on the field folks.  Okay. How about another example?

No no no no, don’t Funk with my Rams

Perhaps another player equally frustrating to the followers of the Rams draft effort was that of 5-foot-10 205-pound running back Jake Funk out of the University of Maryland. Another running back? Yep, and he’s going to make a strong case in competition as the short-yardage rusher for the Rams in 2021. Don’t believe me? Just check out this analysis from one of the best draft analysts in the business, Peter Schrager.

I was no happier with this pick than with the Tutu Atwell pick. But I didn’t know much about him. Now? I’m warming up to this one rapidly. Hey, he’s not just a guy to carry the football, but he will return the ball on special teams and he is a tornado on coverage teams. What are others saying about the new running back?

This is a young man from the seventh round, mind you?  Well, he’s topping the charts per athleticism, at least that is the assertion by Kent Lee Platte, creator of the RAS measurement for NFL players. His measurements ranked Jake Funk 37th out of 1490 running backs from 1987 to 2021. And yet, the LA Rams didn’t blow a Day Two pick on him. On the contrary, the Rams selected him with the 233rd pick of the 2021 NFL Draft. I’d say he’s worth it.

Big Jake

Okay, so if you haven’t caught on yet, the theme of this article is not about the LA Rams seeking the most productive college players. Rather, the team changed the scorecard a bit and went after players who have solid character, great leadership traits, and off-the-chart athleticism.  And yes, new tight end/wide receiver Jacob Harris checks all of the boxes.

He is an outstanding multi-dimensional athlete. Per Kent Lee Platte, his Relative Athlete Score (RAS) ranks Harris at the 41st best WR out of the past 2,517 players from 1987 to 2021. Now the problem is, how will the LA Rams make use of him? Well, one of the great things about an athlete who buries the needle on almost all the measurements.

And that’s quite the testimony, isn’t it? He is a fourth-round pick. So what is his downside? Well, this 6-foot-5 219-pound prospect is rather new to the game of football. He was initially a walk-on in 2017, and a special team’s ace in 2018.  He finally cracked the team’s offense in 2019, and in two seasons put up nine touchdowns in just 21 games, while averaging 20.1 yards-per-catch.

He has only been involved in the offense for two years of his life, so he will arrive at the Rams with the ‘some assembly required’ disclaimer. He needs to work on his hands, his routes, and how he sets up defensive backs through the course of the game. Despite these weaknesses, the Rams are confident that they can coach him up. And with route runners like Robert Woods, Cooper Kupp, and Van Jefferson on the roster, it’s nice to see the Rams change it up a bit.

Rochell, Rochell?

The LA Rams lost veteran cornerback Troy Hill to the NFL Free Agency market and then were persuaded to cut developmental former Georgia Bulldog cornerback Tyrique McGhee after two strikes on the NFL’s prohibited substances.  So when the Rams chose 6-foot-0 193-pound Central Arkansas cornerback Robert Rochell, the team addressed a true roster weakness. In the process, they got a Senior Bowl Standout as well.

With an inability to compare the production of NCAA players with dissimilar games and seasons, the LA Rams pivoted to another common element, Relative Athletic Score. Once more, the LA Rams chose a player whose sheer athleticism tracks off the charts. In the 2021 Draft, that did not necessarily track with the football production method applied by analysts, scouts, and pundits. But to be truthful, their methods did have a marked bias to players who performed in 2020. Rochelle was one of the players who did not.

And still, he heard his name called by the Rams.  In 35 games, he racked up 77 tackles, 5.5 tackles for a loss, he picked off 10 interceptions, defended 35 passes, forced two fumbles, and recovered two fumbles. His draft grade was 6.25 per NFL.com and they expected him to be a Day Two selection. He’s good enough to crack the Rams starting roster from day one this year.

Downtown Bobby Brown

Of course, I can’t miss out on the opportunity to talk a bit about that 6-foot-4 321-pound defensive tackle from the Texas A&M Aggies, Bobby Brown. Brown is a huge mountain of a man who loves to crack the pads, shed the blockers, and drop anyone with the football on his arse. He’s football incarnate, and he’s heading to the LA Rams roster.

While playing in 29 games, Brown had plenty of action with 57 tackles, 10.5 tackles for a loss, six quarterback sacks, and even one pass defensed. He has all the size and power that the Rams could have hoped for on the defensive line. And yes, Brown is one more ‘off-the-charts’ athlete. His Relative Athletic Score is phenomenal, sitting at 9.82. That is the second-best score of any DT in this draft class.

How did he react to the news?

It was pretty obvious that the Rams have pivoted from a film-review team to a film plus data analytics sort of drafting team. It’s also somewhat obvious that the Rams tactics were not well received by many.

But the true result of any draft is what happens on the football field. Whether or not you agree with who the Rams drafted, nobody truly knows the outcome until several football seasons have been played. And for what it’s worth, if the Rams are taking rookies from the draft and redshirting them as a rule, I’m completely okay with choosing athletic freaks for that role.

The LA Rams are changing the rules as well by finding quality players who were overlooked using traditional evaluation methods. Of course, quality is what we will say later. For now? Let’s just say Moneyball and let it go at that.