LA Rams: Five most underrated moves of the 2021 offseason

Finally drafting a bona fide inside linebacker

For many years, the LA Rams approached the defense with a unique strategy. Analyzing the history trending, it appears as though the team determined that it basically only needed to fill the inside linebacker positions with internally developed players who were selected either very late in the NFL Draft, or after the draft had concluded.

The quartet fielded by the team in 2020 to handle all of the inside linebacker responsibilities included: Kenny Young (122nd selected player of 2018 NFL Draft), Micah Kiser (147th selected player of the 2018 NFL Draft, Travin Howard (231st selected player of the 2018 NFL Draft), and Troy Reeder (undrafted free agent after the 2019 NFL Draft).  While Young has the highest-drafted position, he was actually drafted by the Baltimore Ravens and joined the Rams as part of the 2019 trade that sent cornerback Marcus Peters to the Ravens.

As long as the Rams had All-Pro Aaron Donald on the line of scrimmage, the defense only needed to field a player who had solid lateral movement and could thump a running back who slipped through the front three. But in 2020, the Rams discovered that the team needed more. After all, if the team’s defense could achieve the top-ranking spot in the NFL, why not seek a player at the inside linebacker role who could direct traffic and play a more proactive role?

Whether or not the Rams front office hit the bullseye in drafting South Carolina Gamecocks ILB Ernest Jones, the effort to select him with the 103rd pick of the 2021 NFL Draft was absolutely a step in the right direction. Was the move a reach? Perhaps. But he came highly recommended by Rams running backs coach Thomas Brown, who coached the Gamecocks running backs in 2019, and was more than impressed with Jones. The 6-foot-2 230-pound rookie has already displayed the ability to call the Rams defense, a role vacated by the loss of safety John Johnson III to free agency.