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

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