6 surprise omissions from LA Rams first depth chart

Jones

Finally, when the LA Rams committed a third-round pick to address the inside linebacker position and select Ernest Jones, there appeared to be more talented players on the draft board, even at the inside linebacker position. But Ernest Jones had an advocate in former South Carolina Gamecocks running back coach Thomas Brown.

Jones has passion, can thump a running back in the backfield, can deflect a pass over the middle, and direct the defense, can shed blockers. Ernest Jones can be everything that the LA Rams want him to be. The problem is that he is not that player yet, and the Rams have four veteran players on the roster who are in the last years of their contracts who can do some or many of these things better than Jones right now.

The front office set him up to fail. They seem to be playing a game of checkers while the team needs the strategy of chess right now. That places Ernest Jones at a distinct and confusing disadvantage.

Ernest Jones won’t learn the role of starting inside linebacker on the bench, on the practice squad, or on the street. He will only learn that role, develop into an NFL starter if he gets the chance to play at that level, learn from the experience, and develop further. This is not something new. It is the path many players have taken from late in the NFL draft and ranks of the undrafted. Practice squad, make the roster on special teams, rotational player, then starter. But Ernest Jones is a Day Two prospect from the NFL Draft, which should bypass his need to put in time on the practice squad and special teams. He should be part of the Rams rotation.

The Rams apparently don’t see it that way. Add him to the roster, but ensure that pairing two sets of veterans at the position will keep him blocked from advancing, much like a blockade does on a Parcheesi board.