Looks like LA Rams shopped the Shrine Bowl for DBs

While there were not an abundant number of reports about the LA Rams’ intentions before the 2022 NFL Draft, the consensus was that the team would aim at their secondary, pass rush, and offensive line in this draft.

The team certainly did so, drafting two offensive linemen, four defensive backs, and one edge rusher out of eight draft picks (running back is the final pick).  But the pattern of how the LA Rams made their draft selections, due to the lack of reports of meetings., was a bit sketchy. In the end, the Rams chose prospects from seven different NCAA conferences, and eight different universities, and chose rookies from both large and small football programs.

The team chose some prospects with high RAS scores and some with low RAS scores. In the end, the Rams’ selection process appeared to be random interest.

So was there a pattern?

Well, the LA Rams clearly paid attention to the East-West Shrine Bowl. Historically, the Rams favor candidates who perform well in the Shrine Bowl and the Senior Bowl. Clearly, three of eight draft selections participated in, and played well in the Shrine Bowl this year:

While it is not a solid rule of thumb, the Rams prefer to favor solid performances in these two bowl games because the participants are relatively similar in maturity and talent level. That eliminates unwanted variables when assessing a player’s performance.

Clearly, someone from the LA Rams organization was monitoring the East-West Shrine Bowl, as the team emerged from the 2022 NFL Draft with three defensive backs who played well in that game. Will the Rams be as focused on the Shrine Bowl in future drafts? That’s hard to say. But we’ll certainly be paying a bit more attention to it in the future.