Rams already regret fruitless offseason investment in 1 rookie draft pick

Los Angeles Rams general manager Les Snead must have entered the 2025 NFL Draft with two preconceived conclusions. The most obvious is that after failing to trade up in Round 1, he concluded remaining rookies projected on the board at the 26th overall pick would not be impact starters for his team in 2025

The second conclusion is L.A.'s roster was good as is after filling holes via free agency. That changed the entire tone of the draft, going from drafting for need to drafting for future investment.

One of Los Angeles' speculative selections was choosing Ole Miss linebacker Chris "Pooh" Paul, Jr.

Paul was a solid rookie prospect who certainly warranted being selected. But two unforeseen circumstances would prove to be impossible to overcome. The first was an injury in training camp that hampered his progress and development. The second was signing a very similarly accomplished rookie linebacker, Shaun Dolac, after the draft ended.

Rams clearly regret how things played out with Chris Paul Jr.

The Rams applied a multi-prong strategy to address the need for better production from the inside linebacker spot, and that effort was surprisingly successful. But with Paul competing with Dolac for what ultimately became the fourth and final roster slot, it was his injury-hampered offseason that ultimately proved to be the difference.

Such is the cost of doing business in the NFL.

The thing is, the Rams invested two picks to trade up for the rookie. And those two picks happened to fall at spots the front office has found contributors in the past.

• TRADE: Rams traded Round 6 picks (201 and 202) to the Minnesota Vikings for a Round 5 pick (172).

Which brings us to the draft pick that seemed so promising, and yet proved to be fruitless. After investing two picks into Paul, L.A. chose to release him in hopes of re-signing him to the practice squad. But he opted to sign with the Seattle Seahawks practice squad, continuing a bittersweet tradition of losing linebackers at roster cuts.

Los Angeles only has five rookies selected in the 2025 NFL Draft, a much smaller class than the previous two years. It's also a much smaller return than the original eight draft picks Snead held when entering the three-day event. But it was a calculated decision. Few roster spots were even open to rookie starters.

It was clear the draft was about building roster depth and future talent. As such, the rookies were never expected to win a starting role. But it was the loss of Paul to an NFC West rival that stings.

Everything works out for a reason. Still, if you fall into a wudda, cudda, shudda trap, one of the most difficult ones to avoid is how things turned out with "Pooh" Paul.

As always, thanks for reading.

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