Rams select Edge Brennen Jackson with No. 154: Instant grade and analysis

You've come a long way in the 2024 NFL Draft if you have been waiting for the LA Rams to add their fifth rookie. Until this point in the draft, the team has shown a deliberate and strategic impetus to fill the team's most pressing needs. Pass rush, defensive line, running back depth, and a ball-hawking safety have been on the minds of personnel executives and fans alike.

And those concerns have already been put to rest.

Waiting 55 picks to get to the 154th pick of the 2024 NFL Draft is not an easy feat. Constantly monitoring the updates to ensure that a trade doesn't slip in unnoticed while watching the list of best available players one by one is not an ideal way to kill time.

Was it worth it? I think so. The LA Rams added edge rusher Brennen Jackson out of Washington State, and I can tell you that he will be competing for playing time in the rotation almost instantly.

Jackson appears to have strong value, as he is still filling a position of need, but was projected to come off the board as early as late Day 2 of the draft. He is a big body on the edge, standing 6-foot-4 and weighing 264 pounds. He has enough power, agility, speed, and flexibility to fill in as either a 3-4 outside linebacker or as a defensive end.

He has been very productive throughout his college career, and has shown that impressive improvement each season that coaches crave in their players. He has gotten by so far by outpowering his opponent , and will definitely benefit from coaching.

He has huge upside, and he has been one of my favorites from this rookie class. He has immediate impact on special teams, but expect him to earn a rotational role in the pass rush early in the upcoming season as well.

He fills a need on Day 3 and could become a key rotational player on this defense. Late in Round 5, where the Rams find NFL superstars.

Grade: A