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

Now that we’ve seen everything the LA Rams have done with this 2021 NFL draft, we are left to imagine, conceptualize (perhaps even fantasize and spit-ball?) that the front office approached this draft with a master plan, a blueprint, a road-map. To do any less would be, well, uncivilized.

Whatever NFL “game plan” the Rams had in place for this year’s draft was surely shaped and crafted with their eyes on the prize, the Lombardi.

Stay between the lines, your lines, nobody else’s lines, Rams’ lines. Like the blinders on a Kentucky racehorse. Keep that pony focused on the task at hand. Dead reckon the NFL draft road.  The process of calculating one’s position and future course by estimating the direction and distance traveled.

The NFL draft is where a team makes such course corrections. If the Lombardi is our heading, here’s how we chart our course. Obviously, every GM approaches draft day thinking this is the freeway exit turn-off where we can improve our existing stock, replenish our inventory, fill the pantry, level up the team.

There is a fork-in-the-road. Do we turn here? Or stand pat. Do we double down on that ace-card the dealer’s showing us? Do we drive right past that exit?

Only GM Les Snead, head coach Sean McVay et al. know the team’s true internal weaknesses and they don’t speak of such things in public. But ye shall know them, learn of such deficiencies by the decisions they have just made in the recently-concluded draft.

Stuck in the middle with you

We mere fans and observers of the draft process can pore over their picks’ pre-draft ratings, their pre-draft value grades and compare that against our own pre-conceived notions of what we think the team should have done. Then render our verdicts.

Ah, but what fools these mortal GMs for a day be. How they mistakenly fashion themselves as knowledgeable draftniks!  For they know not of what they speak (or write).

Indeed, the allure, the fascination, the magnetism of the NFL draft is that for three days, we are all GMs. We are all Les Snead and Sean McVay. We are all sitting by the pool in a Malibu beach draft house and listening to the soothing crash of the surf.

We are all Raheem Morrises, too, eager to cannonball into the pool, to rejoice in our team’s wisdom and clairvoyance after making such an excellent pick. Because man, that guy we just took got 34 and 3/4 inch pythons! Or, that one runs a 4.27-second 40-yard dash time with a vertical jump of 36 inches and a broad jump of 10-feet-7! That dude’s an athletic freak!

Conversely, we instinctively react to what we perceive as a bad pick by saying to ourselves, the Rams did what?  Who? Whoa, they coulda’ picked up that guy in the third round, but instead, they pulled the trigger on him in the second? WTF?

Now, I doubt any of us hang a painting of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell on our man-cave walls, however, ‘cuz, well, that’s just a bit much. Penalty flag for unsportsmanlike conduct. 15-yard penalty, from the spot of the foul.

Post-draft despair

And after the draft’s conclusion, we are all ESPN draft specialists like Mel Kiper and Todd McShay, armed with hot takes, eager to dole out our own personal draft grades, as measured against some arbitrary internal yardstick.

Every one of us thinks we know better, but the reality is, none of us knows nearly as much as the pair that was driving the Rams’ NFL draft-day car.

The Rams have now filled 89 out of a possible 90 roster slots. They’re holding one back, for reasons as yet unknown. Can we reverse-engineer this Rams’ roster, this Rams’ draft, this Rams’ draft psyche? Can we get inside their heads and infer what motivations underpinned their moves, their moving up or down in the draft pocket.

That’s a tall order, a tough row to hoe. We are not privy to such hush-hush information. That’s classified and for good reason. Strictly available on a need-to-know basis. And you don’t need to know. They (the Rams front office executives) are the experts. This is what they get paid to do. The personnel executives are the ones who know where and how they need to improve this team. You, me, we, however, may only infer where and how we need to improve this team.

They got the drop on us. They hold the cards and they won’t show them at all. When the blackjack player busts, he always loses, even if the dealer’s hand also busts.

And so, as Rams fans, we are left to deduce whatever we can, as a CIA analyst must read between the lines of a press release with a Moscow dateline. Sometimes, it’s not so much about what they write or say, but rather, about what they don’t write or say. We are reduced to being like Kremlinologists.

It don’t come easy

But then, can we as Rams fans really ever truly put our full faith and confidence in a gang that brought us a team logo that resembles whatever Eric Dickerson said it looked like? A team that traded away not one, not two, but three first-round draft picks and a Super Bowl-starting QB for a veteran QB who’s never won even so much as a single playoff game?

Then, in the back of our minds are the ghosts of Drafts Days Past with names like Tavon Austin, Trung Candidate, Lawrence Phillips, Tye Hill, Greg Robinson, Jason Smith or Jesse James. (No, not the outlaw, but the offensive lineman drafted in 1995 who played one game in his rookie season and one game in his second season, neither of which were starts).

Draft day swings and misses. Whiffs. Busts. Uncomfortable reminders that there are more than a few potholes on this road.  Like Jimmy Morrison once advised us all, “Oh, keep your eyes on the road, your hands upon the wheel. Yeah, we’re going to the Roadhouse. Gonna have a real. A good time.”

It’s clear this Ram’s draft wasn’t some mere knee-jerk reaction. It was not a panic-inspired rush to plug roster holes. Indeed, it took a few paths down NFL roads less traveled, too.

Was that road sign missing back there a few miles ago? Honey, could you reach inside the glove box and pull out the map? Oh damn, there’s no map in there?

Alexa, gimme’ directions to Lombardi Trophy Boulevard. Honey, can you Google Super Bowl Drive for me? Damn, this GPS ‘ain’t telling me shiznit!

Longest view in the room

As everyone turned to the here and now, the Rams were not solely focused on the 2021 season or immediate team needs, however, but also casting one eye occasionally toward future anticipated needs. You see, it’s all a game to us. We can play our mocks, shut it down, and come back in 15 minutes to do it all over again. This is their livelihood. They break it, they bought it.

We should resist the urge to superimpose our own personal shopping lists over the Rams’ own internal shopping list. Perhaps we shouldn’t be too myopic or harsh about this Rams draft.

Los Angeles Rams

Maybe we should step back a bit. Look at it from afar. Glass it from the 10,000-feet stratospheric level. Instead of the worm’s eye view, give it the bird’s eye view.

Judging by some of the initial reactions of Rams fans by what we saw on social media, there was a smattering of bewilderment, disappointment, and apprehension. And a heaping helping of fury sprinkled with quite a few SMH emojis.

Perhaps it will take some time before any of us can fully appreciate the team’s decisions and choices. Many are so entrenched in the reflexive “This-draft-sucks” mindset that anything to the contrary is met with a “Here-comes-the-Rams-PR-spin-machine-again” response.

And let’s be clear. Any draft analysis from this proximity is speculative,  subjective, and well, downright iffy. But we’ll take it slow, try to drive within the lines ourselves, and apply some common sense to this analysis.  Let’s go.

To the Roadhouse

Before we can jump in on the picks, let’s start by assessing the lay of the land of this Rams draft from the scenic vista roadhouse rest stop overlooking the scene. The farther away from the draft you go, the less likely you are to catch the minutiae, the hustle, and bustle, the frantic pace of it all.  From a distance, it all appears tranquil, orderly. . .and peaceful.

To draw a better bead on this Rams draft, we need to re-orient our compass, Synchronize our watches, and zero in our rifle sights to better align and sync up with the Rams’ front-office perspective.

This outfit’s board of directors is recommending its shareholders take the long view on this draft and is advocating that they invest more capital to make the company more sustainable. Resist limiting ourselves to only thinking about the here-and-now present.

Drafting for more than just immediate needs, but drafting for long-term strategic goals, objectives.  Eyes on the prize, yes, but a quick glance up at the rear-view mirror every now and then, too. What do we need to do to beat the Niners? They sure had our number last year. Rubbed our nose in it. That stung.

Remember, we are all GMs for a day, right?

We can all play the online simulated games, make all the mock draft trades via computer software algorithms, and get immediate feedback from all that stuff, designed solely to better inform us of which selections were good, and which ones sucked. But it’s easy to lose track that the ‘grades’ are built upon formulae from team needs and a mock board that had no interaction with LA Rams’ executives.

It’s a trap!

So in the end, we mere fan stakeholders of Rams’ preferred stock options have entered this draft with all the comprehension and understanding of Pavlov’s dog. Our reactions were conditioned,  our reactions pre-programmed.

None of us watched all the tape on all the prospects, watched all the college games, talked to the scouts, or saw them up close at the Senior Bowl.   How many of us met for hours upon hours with experts, draft analysts, and scouts?  Can any of us truly claim to have walked the path to the 2021 NFL Draft as Snead and McVay did?

Nary a one.

Nevertheless, with all those caveats out of the way, let’s attempt to dissect the LA Rams offensive center position. Because that’s really the elephant in the room, now isn’t it? Because the Rams didn’t take one unless you count the guy they picked up as an undrafted free agent who played mostly guard in college.

For openers, the LA Rams have a new offensive line coach in Kevin Carberry. What The New Guy didn’t know about veteran Austin Blythe and all the other O-line positions, well, McVay would have filled him in with the skinny on each one of them rather quickly. Stay or go. Thumb’s up, or thumbs down. Stand pat or look to the draft.

Despite all their public rhetoric about wanting to bring Austin Blythe back as the anchor of the O-line,  the Rams did not exactly put their money where their mouth was.

Bye Bye Blythe

The team kinda’ knew beforehand going into this draft that letting Andrew Blythe walk was likely because they didn’t exactly offer him a big-payday contract. They had to expect their bluff would be called. They had to know he was a flight risk.

And when he flew the coop, the Rams walked into the draft with a strategy already in place. Ultimately, they decided to stand pat. They didn’t pull the trigger on drafting a center. They are telling us they like the guys they already got stashed away.

That right guard Austin Corbett can slide on over to center, that his failure at center in Cleveland with the Browns is water under the bridge. That 2019 starting center Brian Allen will be fully recovered from his injuries and return to that starting role.

That untested offensive lineman Coleman Shelton’s time is nigh or even second-year offensive lineman Tremayne Anchrum can handle the job. (Of course, if Corbett is the answer, then that pre-supposes Bobby Evans is able to slide in to play right guard).

The Rams are telling us, in effect, “We dub thee ‘Appropriately Coached Up. ‘ ” (as they lightly tap both shoulders of whatever center they ultimately choose to start with a sword). Meanwhile, legions of Rams fans are warily apprehensive.

You’re asking us to have a little faith. Oh, but we of little faith are an anxious lot, now aren’t we? Nervous Nellies ‘R’ Us.

We can argue about whether any of the above center options are a wise move or a bone-headed move until the cow’s come home, but sometimes,  we are left with no options other than to place our confidence in you, trust (there’s that word again) that you know what you’re doing. This bunch knows what they have in the cupboard already. The rest of us can only surmise, suppose and speculate.

We’re over here just on the outside looking in.

Fun fact recap

From the moment the LA Rams traded for veteran and older starting quarterback Matthew Stafford from the Detroit Lions, there has been a whiff of anxiety in the air. The specter of that 2019 meltdown of the Rams’ offensive line has been tough to shake off. And the fact that it peered out at fans once more during the Divisional Round of the NFL Playoffs when Bobby Evans took over for injured David Edwards at left guard was enough to cause downright panic.

So we fired up online draft simulators and were tickled to get good grades for finding an early center. Over and over again we mocked and shared, pleased with our immediate feedback of an A draft that featured OC Creed Humphrey or Landon Dickerson, or Quinn Meinerz.

But that was never how the Rams saw it.

Their board had other players valued much higher. Here are some samples of relevant Fun Facts:

First – Austin Blythe is 6-foot-3 and 298 pounds. Former offensive center John Sullivan was 6-foot-4 and 312 pounds.

Second – Before the LA Rams entered the draft, the Rams players had already opted out of voluntary OTAs.  In that scenario, the ability of the Rams rookie offensive line coach to quickly turn any rookie addition to the roster into a functioning NFL starter would have been iffy.

Third – LA Rams offensive line coach Kevin Carberry has yet to work directly with any of the offensive linemen. Since he has not had that opportunity to work with them, the Rams may have decided to roll with 2020 and prescribe who starts at center. No competition.

Fourth – Has anyone translated what the new direction of the offense will be, beyond the presumption it will be a more explosive and dangerous offense? What does that really mean in terms of the offensive line? The Rams stressed the fact that it would be difficult to expect a rookie to start in 2021.

Fifth– The LA Rams want a more explosive offense.  That likely means heavier reliance upon the passing game, and ipso facto, an offensive line built to support the pass.

Sixth – I hate to say it, but the LA Rams continue to be misers when it comes to that NFL offensive line. It should be apparent to us all that if the Rams are content to rank 30th in the NFL on spending on the offensive line, they are likely not targeting any offensive lineman with their most valuable pick.

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.

More Observations

Observation 4 -The Rams were not drafting to pretty up the roster or redecorate the office. They weren’t garnishing the plate with mere sprigs of parsley. They took some chances, rolled the dice, grabbed the Lamborghini or Jaguar when there were dependable Fords and Chevys still on the lot.

But, oh, isn’t she a looker?

That WR can stretch the field and give McVay so many options he will feel like a wide-eyed kid in the candy store.

Yeah, that’s the one. That’s our Neo.

Observation 5 – The Rams drafted a few high-performance parts that only fit their McVay high-octane offense. If you do happen to own a Lamborghini, and your race car driver is the offensive-minded boy savant of the NFL, you don’t walk into the tire store asking to look at the cheapest generic whitewall tires they offer, but rather, you make a beeline for the Michelins and the Pirellis.

Nothing less will do. Only the piss-poor musician blames his instrument.

Without a speedy wide receiver deep threat, it seems that the McVay offense just doesn’t quite click on all cylinders. It needs space to accelerate. Otherwise, it’s mired in being mediocre, and McVay just can’t stomach a mediocre offense. That engine’s gotta’ purr.

Observation 6 – This was a  bit of a “nichey” draft for the Rams. They drafted key parts that they believe can complete the puzzle and fill in the cracks. By drafting players whom they believed could be used in specific situations, the powers-that-be hope to catapult this team over the top right now, RIGHT NOW. If this is the year that the Rams are truly all-in, then by their picks we shall gauge the depths of their convictions to chasing down The Lombardi.

Observation 7 –  The Rams employed a bit of a throwback, old-school draft strategy this year with some of their picks. They took the approach of let’s get them, let’s red-shirt them if necessary, develop them, coach ’em up, and see what we have later down the road. I guess you could label that as an old-fashioned, measured approach. It’s a tried-and-true NFL draft tactic.

And the draft, the three-day event that captured the imagination of more than 55 million viewers, 35 percent more than 2019 according to a league press release, allows us to fancy ourselves as tacticians, strategists too.

And now onto dissecting the individual picks.

Round 2, pick 57

When the LA Rams arrived at the podium to make their first pick, and the 57th pick of the 2021 NFL Draft, the reality is that the LA Rams were in no way, shape, or form expected to select a wide receiver.  And yet, they did.

So when the team selected 5-foot-9 165-pound (some debate to that) wide receiver, Tutu Atwell, from the University of Louisville, for many, that was a stone-cold surprise. In the absence of a first-round draft pick, they used their most critical first pick on a wide receiver, albeit a speedy one who runs a 4.27-second 40-yard dash. But he’s under-sized, and slight, by NFL standards. Diminutive is the operative word here. And that’s a real legitimate concern.

One need only to check out how Baltimore Ravens’ speedy WR Marquis “Hollywood” Brown has struggled to find his way in the NFL, particularly when defenses press and play him physically, lean on him a bit, to be concerned about Atwell’s future.

It’s been bandied about on social media and by the talking-head draft pundits that the Rams wanted to grab some insurance in case, their oft-injured-other-speedy wideout in Desean Jackson should land on the IR again, as he has been prone to do the last couple of seasons.

Indeed, Jackson could fairly be accused of some first-degree larceny for taking a paycheck during his last two years in Philly because he spent so much time injured and unable to take the field.

And the Rams only signed DJax to a one-year contract, so perhaps they were also thinking about Atwell as a contingency plan.

We’ve also heard Atwell could be used on punt and kickoff returns but he didn’t do very much of that at Louisville, so there would be a learning curve to become proficient at that skill for the NFL.

Of course, he’s McVay’s Lamborghini. His G-6 Learjet.

Envisioned to take the top off the opposing defense, create space for the other receivers and force the defense to defend every inch of the field. Too bad he’s just 5-foot-9 because that doesn’t equate to very much vertical stretch. He’s got the horizontal axis covered, though.

For as the experts so often say, you can’t coach speed. And Atwell’s a legitimate blazer. The NFL  field is 100 yards long and 53.333  yards wide. Speed and height are the only two ways to expand it. Surely, as the Rams watched two other speedy WRs in Elijah Moore and D’Wayne Eskridge come off the board earlier, then Atwell became more attractive to them.

And so, they threw caution to the wind.

Could the Rams deploy DJax and Atwell at the same time? Now, there’s a thought.

Draft Grade: B-

Round 3, pick 103

After trading back from the 88th pick of the draft, the first of three draft-day trades by the team, the LA Rams turned to the defense. With the 103rd pick of the 2021 NFL Draft, the LA Rams selected the 6-foot-2 230-pound inside linebacker from the South Carolina Gamecocks, Ernest Jones. He arrives at the fold with the strong endorsement of Rams running back coach Thomas Brown, who had coached running backs at South Carolina just one year earlier.

And he not only liked what he saw but knew first-hand and up-close what this player might deliver to the Rams. It’s difficult to do any better analyzing a prospect when you’ve been able to personally put your hands on his jersey in real-time, real games.

Ernest Jones (5.99 grade per NFL.com) may not have been the top player on the board, nor even the top linebacker at the time he was chosen, but he was likely one of the top linebackers on the Rams board.

He’s young, just a mere 20 years old, can’t even grab a beer at the bar yet. Moldable clay with all the raw talent you could possibly ask for.

He may not be as rangy as say, former Rams ILB Corey Littleton, but he plays with great instincts and tracks the ball exceedingly well. With all the mobile pre-snap motion and trickery to be found amongst NFC West teams, such as the Rams will encounter twice a year from that team by the bay that beat them twice last year -San Francisco Niners’ head coach Kyle Shanahan’s passing offense – the Rams needed a defender with that particular skill set. This team was screaming for some new, young and hungry blood at inside linebacker.

Jones plays intelligently. High football IQ. He’s able to sniff out developing plays before they, well, develop. Teammates love him. Looks like he’s having a lot of fun out there on the field.  He’s a leader on the field.

It’s easy to imagine him stepping right in for either Micah Kiser or Troy Reeder, if not immediately then in the not-so-distant future.

The Rams snagged themselves a bonafide stud, and actually addressed a critical need of this team.

A deft draft move to snag a player that shows every indication will pay this team big dividends.

Draft Grade: A-

Round 4, pick 117

The LA Rams acquired the 117th pick of the draft, a fourth-round selection, from the rival San Francisco 49ers, and wasted no time in making them regret the exchange. That being said, with the 117th pick of the 2021 NFL Draft, the LA Rams selected the huge 6-foot-4 321-pound defensive lineman from the Texas A&M Aggies, Bobby Brown III. He is not just a player to stash away for the future but he comes to compete for playing time now.

Armed with a hungry heart to smash, shed and tackle, Brown is a very accomplished and dangerous interior defensive lineman. In fact, Brown (6.21 grade per NFL.com) managed 5.5 quarterback sacks in just nine games in 2020.

When you play in the South Eastern Conference (SEC), you’re doing more than just playing against the top collegiate competition. You’re playing with the Big Dawgs, the minor leagues of the NFL. Brown was named first-team All-SEC.

And when Brown balled out in the SEC, he got himself drafted. The Rams just snagged one of the top four-rated defensive tackles in the entire draft.

He’s the envisioned replacement (upgrade?) for the now-departed Michael Brockers. And this one has the stamp of approval from new defensive coordinator Raheem Morris, who seems to have a particular penchant for the combination of beefiness and length. And for reasons that have everything to do with leverage,  Brown has 34 3/4 inch pythons.

A lever is a simple machine. It works by reducing the amount of force needed to move an object or lift a load. A lever does this by increasing the distance through which the force acts. Longer arms are the NFL’s version of levers.

Brown will be a run-stopping, space-eating lever capable of moving many NFL objects off their spots. In NFL lingo, Brown will keep the Rams’ linebackers “clean.”  That big body will just be plum-difficult to move off the ball.

His NFL comparable Philadelphia Eagles’ All-Pro  Fletcher Cox and that’s high praise, indeed.

Draft Grade: A

Round 4, pick 130

The LA Rams traded their 121st (a pick obtained from the 49ers) and 209th picks to the Jacksonville Jaguars in their second of three draft-day trades in return for the 130th, 170th, and 249th picks of the draft. Ironically, the 130th pick was the LA Rams original fourth-round pick originally traded to the Jaguars as part of the package to acquire All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey.

So it seems quite fitting that with the 130th pick of the 2021 NFL Draft, the LA Rams would select the 6-foot-0 193-pound cornerback from the University of Central Arkansas Bears, Robert Rochell. If ever there was a young man out of college who appeared to be destined to line up with Jalen Ramsey, Robert Rochell (6.25 grade per NFL.com) is the guy.

First-team all-conference and a Senior Bowl standout that made all the coaches eyeballs in attendance that day in Mobile, Alabama pop. So much upside here. So polished. So smooth. He glides.

Rochell also addresses a critical need of the Rams. Athletic, long, excellent closing speed, scheme versatility – checks all the boxes for what you look for in a stud cornerback.

He could see the field immediately as the Rams nickel back and to counter all the five-wide sets the team will undoubtedly encounter from NFC West opponents. He could be groomed along slowly, but his undeniable skills and talent will probably force the issue and put him on the field quickly.

Oh, what a secondary tandem to deploy in Ramsey & Rochell. (Has nice alliteration, too.)

Love, love, love this pick!

Draft Grade: A++

Round 4, pick 141

How long can the LA Rams go without picking a receiver? Well, if the 2021 NFL Draft is any indication, the limit seems to be at least every four selections.  You see, after choosing three times to help out on the defensive side of the ball, the LA Rams returned once more to focus on adding weapons for new quarterback Matthew Stafford, and of course, head coach Sean McVay. (who seems to believe you can never have too many or too much of a good thing at this position)

With the 141st pick of the 2021 NFL Draft, the LA Rams selected an amazingly raw but talented and athletic tight end/wide receiver from the University of Central Florida Knights, Jacob Harris.  The 6-foot-5 219-pound Harris (6.00 grade per NFL.com) is so incredibly gifted, that the Rams could do almost anything with this young man on the offense.

Throw a rock in any direction. Like a utility fielder in baseball.

The trick is to focus that wide spectrum of potentialities into one or two things he would be best at, for now.  Add on other ways of using him once those are mastered. Think moldable clay that hardens.

He can contribute immediately on special teams because he was rated as the No. 1 special teams coverage guy in this draft. Say goodbye to opposing teams’ offenses starting drives from a shortened field on kickoffs and punts, Rams Fans.

He runs a 4.4-second 40-yard dash and will get down the field on special teams with a quickness to hem the other teams’ return, man, in, well, quickly.

Here’s an amazing statistic about Harris: he averaged 20.1 yards per catch in college. Big chunks make McVay’s high-octane offense roar down the field.

Another WR arrow for the Rams’ offense’s quiver of options.

A different flavor of WR. I shall dub thee McVay’s WR Flavor of the Week.

Draft Grade: B-

Round 5: No. 174

The next pick comes as a result of the LA Rams’ third and final trade of the draft. In this exchange, the Rams traded the 170th pick obtained from the Jaguars and parlayed that into the 174th and 233rd picks in this draft. Then, with the 174th pick of the 2021 NFL Draft, the LA Rams selected the 6-foot-5 270-pound defensive end from the Northwestern Wildcats,  Earnest Brown IV.

It was a solid pick, as the LA Rams had lost both Michael Brockers and Morgan Fox in the off-season. Earnest Brown IV (5.80 grade per NFL.com) will be immediate competition for Morgan Fox’s vacated role. Brown was the tenth-ranked defensive end in the draft, and an equivalently ranked player who the Rams had shown interest in, Iowa’s Chauncey Golston, was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the third round.

He’s versatile, too. Lined up everywhere on the defensive line in college. Tall, long, and heavy. Sets the edge. Has to be another Raheem-Morris-influenced pick, because he fits the prototype. (read: 34 1/2 inch arm levers)

Sexy pick? Nah. Headliner pick? Nah again. Just a blue-collar mentality of rolling up his sleeves and going to work. Sacking the quarterback is just one of many things that an edge player must do. What about setting the edge? Brown is top-notch at that seldom discussed skill.  What about stopping the run, or shedding blockers? All solid. The LA Rams believe they can help him get to the quarterback. Defensive coordinator Raheem Morris believes that he can help get the LA Rams to the Super Bowl.

Draft Grade: B

Round 7: No. 233

The last position anyone expected the Rams to select with their seventh pick in the 2021 NFL Draft was running back. Still, this has already been a draft that has strayed a bit into unchartered territory.  So it just sort of measured right up to the tone of this draft to discover that with the 233rd pick of the 2021 NFL Draft, the LA Rams selected 5-foot-10 205-pound Maryland Terrapin running back, Jake Funk.

And almost immediately after Funk heard his name called out by the LA Rams with the 233rd pick, fans rushed to judge Rams general manager Les Snead as certifiably insane.

Jake Funk (5.69 grade per NFL.com) was certainly more than just a running back. He is another staunchly athletic player addition who has so very much to add beyond rushing with the football.

And much like the Jacob Harris pick, his athleticism is far more advanced than the spot that the Rams found him in this draft. But I’m not sold on the running back role, as the LA Rams had four running backs on the roster.

A huge concern is medical one-two ACL surgery in consecutive years – tore his ACL in the same knee in 2018 and 2019 – ouch! But he came back in 2020 and roared like a lion once more.

Can you have too much of a good thing? If it’s a fifth running back addition to the Rams now-pass-centric offense? Perhaps. He might be a 100% special teams pick because he’s a special teams ace in college. He can even return kicks. Funk and Harris are in the same category: immediate special teams impact.

Super athletic, he’s got insane lateral quickness and strength with a low center of gravity, He’s built like a brick, or maybe a cinder block. Bonafide freak, even at 205 pounds.

He once ran for 221 yards in a single game against Minnesota. Funk was simply unstoppable on that day. Surely, that was the flash that dazzled scouts’ eyes.

Paired with measurables that are top-tier of the charts – 4.43 40-yd dash; 38” vertical leap; 10’2” broad jump;  22 reps on the bench. Raw talent, moldable clay, big up-side.

Draft Grade: C+

Round 7: No. 249

Of course, the LA Rams truly cannot help themselves. Someone in the Rams decision-making process is addicted to collecting wide receivers.

We’ve already stated that the Rams limit in terms of how long they can stop themselves before going WR again seems to be four. Well, in this occurrence, the LA Rams were compelled to pick another receiver in just three picks.

After three picks they were Jones’ing for another WR. Maybe the decision-makers need a WR intervention?

With the 249th pick of the 2021 NFL Draft, the LA Rams selected the 6-foot-3 220-pound ball-catcher from the Notre Dame Fighting Irish,  Ben Skowronek.  And in doing so, Ben Skowronek (5.86 grade per NFL.com) becomes just the latest in the Rams collection of new weapons for new QB Stafford.

Surely, it was all the insane contested 50-50 catches this receiver managed to haul in while playing for the Fighting Irish this year that caught their eyes and compelled this particular pick.

Tall, long, huge wingspan and sure-handed. Can play special teams. Maybe even a little fullback for the Rams. McVay can line him up in a Gerald-Everett kinda role. Let him crack some heads, bust a few seams.  This kid loves the contact, lives for the contact, revels in the contact, and is a devastatingly excellent blocker.

If he can get even one hand on the ball, he comes down with it. Not a bad option to squirrel away for your new QB. He might just be Johnny Mundt 2.0

Draft Grade: B-

Round 7, pick 252

While many expect that one of the last ten picks in any draft is merely a glorified undrafted free agent, the fact is that the LA Rams used their last pick and 252nd pick of the draft on 6-foot-3 243-pound outside linebacker Chris Garrett out of Concordia University-St. Paul. He had a 5.60 grade per NFL.com

Think: A self-injected shot of B-12. An instant, water-soluble, easily absorbed dose of edge/ pash rusher/ quarterback eater mainlined into the vastus lateralis (thigh muscle) of the Rams.
Think: 36.5 college sacks
Think: 15 forced fumbles
Think: Disruptor. A specialist. Hyper-carnivorous.

Feed me, Seymour. Feed me, quarterbacks. TheRams rationale for the pick: Almost under the radar, the Rams quietly lost both Derek Rivers and Samsun Ebukam from their pass rush rotation.

They didn’t have the developmental talent from last year’s practice squad to absorb that drop-off in production with the existing players. They took an inventory of the pass-rush cupboard and saw that it was (almost) bare. Re-stock on Aisle 7. We’re almost outta’ pass rush.

Not to insinuate that the Rams do not have the capacity to bring QB heat, mind you.

After all, re-signing outside linebacker Leonard Floyd set the stage for the entire 2021 roster rebuild. And that cascaded and permeated many of the team’s draft strategies. In prioritizing Floyd, the Rams clearly sent a message that many failed to grasp. The roster this year is about fit, about round peg in a round hole.

It’s less about Pro Football Focus grades, or any other measure of an individual, for that matter.

Garrett turned 28 college games into 36.5 quarterback sacks, 166 tackles, nine passes defended, 15 forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries, and one blocked kick/punt.  He is just a fun player to watch.

Of course, he’ll need to power up to do anything similar in the NFL. But he’s a-ripping and a-twitching to get after the QB like a racehorse at the starting gate. He gets off the line incredibly fast.

There’s a slang term in drag racing known as a holeshot, or a holeshot win. That’s when a racer with an e.t. slower than that of his opponent wins an ­eliminations round because he had a ­better reaction time, or left the starting line first.

Garrett is that future hole-shot win specialist for the Rams. He just flat out beats his man. I just can’t quite get this statistic out of my mind, because it’s worth repeating: 36.5 sacks in 28 games. Yes, it came against Division 2 opponents. But he looked like a man-beast out there playing against boys. He destroyed. He pounces like a gazelle about to feed at the only watering hole to be found for miles.

Pressuring the other team’s QB matters.  It just does. I’m of the opinion you can never have too much pass rush.  (WRs?  Perhaps.)

Draft Grade: A-

Summary

No, the sky is not falling. After some heavy lifting investigation, and some follow-up about the Rams’ heavy use of analytics to infuse tremendous athleticism into the roster, I feel much better about the team and their chances.

But now it’s up to you. We’ve put a lot of information at your fingertips. It’s time for you to decided. How did the Rams do?  Go ahead and vote how you feel. But come back in a month and see if you feel the same way. Two months. Then three months.  If you haven’t changed your mind, that is on you, not the team.

Final Overall Grade:  You decide