The LA Rams 2021 NFL Draft rewind: Didn’t deliver just yet

Round 5: No. 174

The plan for the LA Rams to add talented depth to the defensive line continued into the fifth round with the addition of Earnest Brown IV.  It was a solid effort to replace the production of two NFL veterans in the rotation. If not immediately, at some point in the future.

At 6-foot-5 and a robust 270-pounds, he’s got plenty of versatility. Perhaps learning all of the different spots on the defensive line takes time? The Rams continue to have a pattern of redshirting rookies. In all honesty, I like the fact that young players are not thrown into the deep end of the NFL pool until they are capable of swimming.

Original Assessment

"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. “I’m the happiest man alive right now. You don’t understand.” –Earnest Brown is pretty happy to be joining the LA Rams — Greg Beacham (@gregbeacham) May 1, 2021 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 Revised Assessment The fact that Ernest Brown IV remained on the practice squad through the 2021 NFL season is not alarming. The team’s defensive front was stacked a year ago and remains one of the deepest areas on the roster going into the 2022 season. Unfortunately, much like the inside linebacker position in 2021, the 2023 offseason will be a different story, as a number of contracts expire simultaneously. So the hope is that Brown will make significant strides this year as far as playing time. I think that is rather likely, as he certainly has the best defensive line coach in the NFL urging him to reach his optimal football self. Brown simply landed on an NFL team with a lot of talent stacked on the depth chart above him. With the roster opening up with the loss of Sebastian Joseph Day and the need for more pressure on quarterbacks, Brown will have a better chance of making the roster this year. I think he does at least that, and if he does well at special teams, perhaps more. Draft Grade: C Next: Round 7: No. 233 Mandatory Credit: John Gutierrez-USA TODAY Sports Round 7: No. 233 The LA Rams were apparently unable to resist offensive weapons in the 2021 NFL Draft, partly due to the fact that so many also excelled at special teams. That was an area that the team most certainly wanted to improve upon last year, and managed to do so. Funk was likely added to the roster for his special teams’ forte, but over the course of the 2021 NFL season, he had the chance to do more. When the opportunity came to deliver on the offense, he was unable to do so. I get it. He was a rookie, had fewer opportunities to work in the Rams’ offense due to the depth at running back early in the season, and it’s a pretty tough situation, particularly in light of the fact that the entire rushing attack regressed last year. Original Assessment 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… 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+ Revised Assessment The LA Rams will have a lot of returning running backs for the 2022 NFL season, and right now it’s truly anyone’s guess as to how the season will shake out. For his part, Funk did show up on special teams last year, and that could be an edge he holds as everyone jockeys for a position in 2022. The Rams will have plenty of players, but none are free of concerns regarding injuries and recovery. Feature back Cam Akers suffered a devastating injury in 2021. While he returned to the active roster in record time, his production did nothing to answer questions as to whether he can handle the load this year. For that matter, Funk will need to earn a spot on this team once more. Is he up for the challenge? We’ll soon discover the answer to that question. Draft Grade: C+ Next: Round 7: No. 249 Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports Round 7: No. 249 The LA Rams did not enter the 2021 NFL Draft with a perceived need for more wide receivers, and yet somehow managed to emerge with two rookie receivers. The Rams tried two new receiver strategies in the process. Rather than stick with their route-running menu, the team added secondary straining speed in Tutu Atwell. But the team also added a receiver whose specialty was wrestling for contested catches. That seemed to be the ticket, didn’t it? The next two players added to the receiver room: Odell Beckham Jr. and Allen Robinson, both specialize in hauling in contested catches. Because the Rams receivers were pounded mercilessly by injuries, Ben Skowronek rose quickly through the ranks to land playing time on offense both during the regular season and in the playoffs. Original Assessment 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- Revised Assessment While Skowronek earned playing time, his 50 percent catch rate in the regular season, and 33 percent catch rate in the playoffs, guarantee nothing for 2022. The 6-foot-3 224-pound wide receiver does all of the right things on offense, with that one exception of catching the football. But that one thing is pretty important. With the arrival of WR Allen Robinson, Skowronek will likely be relegated to a backup receiver/special teams player role. I believe that could prove to be very beneficial to his long-term NFL future. Meanwhile, he will continue to be a key special teams contributor, needed receiver depth, and talented young performance that will continue to develop for the team’s future. Draft Grade: B Next: Round 7, pick 252 Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports Round 7, pick 252 The hope for rookie outside linebacker Chris Garrett to show up in a rotational role for the team’s defense in 2021 appeared to be on track from OTAs through preseason games. But when the season hit, and the Rams were suddenly extremely thin at health OLBs to rotate into the game, Chris Garrett was not one of the players tapped. And that was a bit of a mild surprise, and it should not have been. Garrett was one of the last handful of players drafted, a rookie who had almost surreal collegiate production, but who was never truly tested by draft caliber opponents. That lack of stiff competition seemed to be addressed when Garrett performed well in preseason games.  He played four defensive snaps and six special team snaps. Original Assessment 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- Revised Assessment The LA Rams truly need significant progress out of second-year player Chris Garrett. Will he deliver? The Rams had lost rotational players Samsun Ebukam, Derek Rivers, Justin Lawler, and Ogbonnia Okoronkwo in the past two seasons. Their veteran acquisition, FA Von Miller, remained for five months. Right now the Rams are down to Leonard Floyd, Justin Hollins, Terrell Lewis, and Chris Garrett. While the Rams will need more depth at the position, the team would love to see Garrett earn a rotational role on defense. Is it fair to expect a former seventh-round rookie to take such a significant step forward in just his second NFL season? Perhaps not. But the decisions made by the LA Rams front office, to re-sign offensive linemen but witness the depletion at outside linebacker without making any steps to bolster the roster depth were not made in a vacuum. The Rams’ front office has a plan, and it seems as though they are counting on big things out of Chris Garrett. We’ll see… Draft Grade: C+ Summary The aftermath of the LA Rams’ 2021 NFL Draft is not as much about disappointment as it is about the reality of bringing aboard rather raw players. Raw players, however athletically gifted, require a significant investment of coaching, time, and patience, to realize their true NFL potential. Perhaps it was the significant development of so many undrafted and late-round prospects previously that raised our expectations too high. We revisited our original draft assessments, not out of the belief that the players somehow are not developing according to plan, but rather because they are adhering a little more closely to a patient and steady development track. It seems as though the Rams can expect two members of their 2021 rookie draft class to start, or at least compete for starting time in Ernest Jones and Robert Rochell. That’s a rather good return. But the reviews draft grades, mainly downward, now reflect the hiccups along the way for many players – whether battling through injuries or the lack of progress to earn playing time. Many of the players from 2021 will play huge roles in 2022. But rather than be outstanding rookie prospects, they will be expected to be contributors in their second season. Hot Rams dream mock draft: The perfect haul for LA in 2022 Read now >> “I’m the happiest man alive right now. You don’t understand.” –Earnest Brown is pretty happy to be joining the LA Rams — Greg Beacham (@gregbeacham) May 1, 2021Jake 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… 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+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-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-"