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

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-