Rams may have just blown their shot at a draft night superstar

The Los Angeles Rams may have delayed the goal of improving their roster for 2025, but both HC Sean McVay and GM Les Snead appeared quite pleased with their Day 1 results. But let's not go overboard on slapping one another on the back in celebration. And if you were against the Rams selecting a rookie quarterback in Round 1 who would sit on the bench all season, the fact that the Rams exchanged Round 1 and 3 picks in the 2025 NFL Draft for Round 2 and 7 picks in this year's draft to claim a Round 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft ends up with the same effect.

I'm not trying to rain on anyone's parade, but the Rams are in the hunt for a Super Bowl right now. No 2026 Round 1 rookie will do anything to help this team in 2025. And that is bound to complicate the team's ability to reload. So we have to be aware of how that impacts the team's effort for 2025.

It's the same reason why I was not buying the panic over the Rams trading a 2025 Round 2 pick to move up for DT Braden Fiske in the 2024 NFL Draft. Fiske became an integral contributor to a chaotic and passionate Rams defense that laid 16 quarterback sacks on opposing offenses in just two playoff games. Draft picks do nothing for a team. Those picks only benefit a team when they become players. The Rams did very well by adding DT Braden Fiske last season.

Which is why we have to be honest with ourselves now and recognize some of the downsides of trading out of Round 1 at the 26th overall pick. Perhaps the most damaging event on Day 1 of the draft is the fact that the defending Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles just got that much better with their first pick.

Did Rams miss a chance to land a defensive superstar?

While the Los Angeles Rams have a long and consistent history of looking away from the inside linebacker position, other NFL teams that have enjoyed extended NFL success have a different view of the role. Some teams that have benefited from superb inside linebackers in recent years include rivals like the San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, and the Philadelphia Eagles.

Even when the Rams invested in the position once, in 2022, when the team paired All-Pro ILB Bobby Wagner with young Ernest Jones, the team had one of the best tandems at the position in the NFL. But the resulting 5-12 record was enough to sour the team from investing so much into the position.

That's a shame.

ILB Jihaad Campbell appeared to check all the boxes for a huge upgrade to the Rams' defense. Standing 6-foot-3 and weighing 235 pounds. Campbell is a mini-nose tackle in the heart of the defense. He is a defensive powerhouse, able to stuff the run, rush the passer, shed blockers, and even cover running backs out of the backfield like a shadow on a sunny day. Unlike the Rams' current complement of linebackers, who excel at one or the other, or neither, Campbell is an all-down defender.

And now, he is a player for the Philadelphia Eagles.

He may not realize his optimal production for the Eagles. After all, he will have plenty of help. But for the Rams, a team with a true need for that guy to glue all of the pieces together, his future in the NFL would be bright indeed.

There are other inside linebackers remaining on the draft board. But none scream instant impact like Jihaad Campbell. While some mistakes are easy to forget, the Rams will be reminded of Campbell's potential every time the Eagles appear on the Rams' schedule. And yes, the Eagles are on the Rams' schedule for 2025.

As always, thanks for reading.

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