LA Rams NFL Draft 2021: A deep-dive dissection of all selections

Observe, please

And before we get to analyzing the individual picks, we would like to make a few observations in general about the Rams’ overall approach. This wasn’t a typical draft. This was a fruit salad type of draft. The 2021 NFL Draft contained players who played no 2020 games, a handful of 2020 games, and all  their 2020 scheduled games. How does one fairly compare such dissimilar prospects?

Observation I – The Rams relied on advanced data analytics to bring players with freakish athleticism onto their roster, players with specific attributes that can’t be coached – speed, length, height, arm size, high motors, character, leadership qualities.

Observation 2 – Invariably, many of the Rams picks had (or should we say required?) a special teams component to them – players who were not only good at their position but could be (or become) impact players on special teams.

Obviously, raising this team’s level of ST play was a particular point of emphasis for the team in this draft. After all, the Rams’ special teams’ play was sub-par last year. Opposing teams enjoyed way too good of field position on punts and kickoffs. Coverage was not much better.  Why shorten the field for your opponent to score?

Maybe special teams play doesn’t always win games, but it certainly loses games.

Special teams coach Joe Decamillis was a very vocal voice in that draft room this year. The Rams listened to his learned counsel and deliberately set about to improve special teams play by drafting, well, players with special teams skills.

A team weakness of last season was both revealed and acknowledged, as evidenced by the choices they made in this draft.

You can imagine a few pre-draft prospect meetings had conversations that went like, “We like you, love your tape, but do you have zee papers that say you can contribute on special teams? No? Oh, sorry we probably won’t be able to draft you.”

Observation 3 – The Rams had their plan all along and rather than follow the thundering herd or join the 31 other NFL teams in the stampede, they followed their own path, however contrarian it might appear from our outsiders’ vantage point. Did they stay true to their board?  That’s difficult to say with any certainty because none of us really knows what their board said.