Why Rams won't regret not prying 10th overall pick from Jets GM Joe Douglas

Opportunity Cost, benefits, and outcomes

If the team had successfully managed to negotiate a trade for TE Brock Bowers, how would the roster appear after the fact? Regardless of the investment, Bowers would have struggled to earn the lions share of offensive snaps in the fact of so much competition at the position. Even if we turned back the calendar to the hey-day of tight ends Gerald Everett and Tyler Higbee in this offense, the Rams targeted Everett 50 times and Higbee 35 times. How many targets could the Rams reasonably project for a rookie tight end in a field that included: Tyler Higbee, Davis Allen, Colby Parkinson, and Hunter Long.

Would Brock Bowers attract 100+ targets in his rookie season, a level required to justify the type of investment that the Rams made in trading up to select him? Call me skeptical over that threshold of involvement in this offense.

I am not saying that Bowers is not an incredibly talented tight end prospect. But the Rams had already invested in a talented rookie TE in 2023 named Davis Allen, acquired TE Hunter Long via trade, and signed TE Colby Parkinson to a significant three-year contract whose compensation is that of a starting tight end.

What about the defense, gang?

Perhaps the more alarming aspect of the trade scenarios to move up in the draft was the cost to do so. Let's review who the Rams selected at the three picks named as part of the package to move up to the 11th pick of the draft:

• 19th overall - OLB Jared Verse
• 52nd overall -> Packaged to move up to 39 to select DT Braden Fiske
• 99th overall - DB Kamren Kinchens

While I have to count my chickens before they are hatched, the tandem of Florida State Seminoles stars outside linebacker Jared Verse plus defensive tackle Braden Fiske was completely unexpected, but resulted in what could be the best possible for this defense of all possible options.

The pairing of both defenders, plus the addition of a ball-hawking defensive back Kamren Kinchens, gives the defense under DC Chris Shula a fighting chance to not only be competitive in 2024, but if all the dominoes fall the right way, could be a significant upgrade over 2023's defense.