Rams catch a falling star makes sense for 3 prospects, not for 3 others

Let this star fall

While there is the undercurrent of debate over the need for the Rams to draft one of the many talented hurlers from this rookie class, Drake Maye, the quarterback out of North Carolina, has been the one who is getting the most mixed reviews of anyone from this rookie class. Some believe that he has all of the makings of the second overall pick from this draft. Others have him falling out of the Top 10, a free fall that may not stop for some time.

But if he falls to the Rams at 19, I hope that the team is in no rush to pull the trigger on him.

I am not suggesting that QB Drake Maye does not have what it takes in the NFL to succeed. He does. I am not suggesting that the LA Rams would not benefit from claiming Drake Maye on this roster. They would. But I am saying that Drake Maye is the type of young quarterback who needs to perform to improve. I do not see drafting him and then sitting him for one of two seasons to have the type of benefit that might occur with a raw talent like Tennessee Volunteers' QB Joe Milton III. Maye is a guy who needs to perform to grow, at least in some form in 2024.

That opportunity simply does not exist with this team this year.

Catch this falling star

One of the clear 'Boom or Bust' prospects in the 2024 NFL Draft is Chop Robinson, an enigmatic outside linebacker out of Penn State University. But while his lack of elite production in college may have some NFL teams balking at adding him in Round 1, I believe that he is an ideal player to add to the Rams roster. After all, the front office demonstrated that college players with an elite passion for the game of football that can translate that love of the game into elite NFL production, and Chop Robinson has a true passion for the game.

Standing 6-foot-3 and weighing 254 pounds, Robinson exudes devastation on the line of scrimmage. But unlike pure chason, Robinson possesses the strategy of a Grand Master chess player as he outflanks, outhustles, and outpowers offensive linemen on his way to bring the quarterback to the ground. So why didn't he put up lofty sack totals?

For much of the same reasons that former Rams DB Jalen Ramsey did not put up lofty numbers of interceptions. Opposing offenses were so fearful of what Chop Robinson might do, they ran plays away from him or just threw the football away to avoid taking a sack. You may disagree, but that is the type of pass rusher that I would openly welcome on this defense.