Rams & Pats Both Draft Based on Specific Fit and Projected Role

What the Patriots and Rams Have in Common

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One thing the Patriots and Rams have in common? A very defined vision for players. New England has a much smaller draft board than most teams, one that, as it’s been explained to me over the years, is based on specific fit and projected role as much as raw talent. Los Angeles has a similarly defined talent-acquisition picture, zeroed in on what Sean McVay and Wade Phillips want at each position, which has allowed them to be liberal in dealing picks and still draft their targets later. The 2017 haul of Gerald Everett, Cooper Kupp, Josh Reynolds, John Johnson and Samson Ebukam is living proof of it. So yes, the Rams’ 2019 second- and third-round picks were sent off for Marcus Peters and Dante Fowler. But they’ll get two compensatory and thirds, and have confidence in their ability to unearth talent by turning over different rocks than other teams.