The Draft Network

You know, in a world where Tom Brady didn't exist, we're probably talking about the Rams as Super Bowl Champions -- Chiefs fans very much disagree.

It's been a very fast rise to power for the current Rams regime, and I don't think Sean McVay nor Les Snead want that train to stop anytime soon. But the Rams have very much been a team to take risks on some high profile players rather than build a steady, diverse core. It got them in reach of where they wanted to go quickly, but that isn't always the most stable way of doing thing. Eventually even the most risky teams who have a lot of turnover need to draft well and create an inner circle within their roster. I would say that L.A. has a small but strong one with Goff, Gurley and Donald, but there's always room to grow.

Here's how the Rams hope they grew in the 2019 NFL Draft.

Round 2, Pick 61: Taylor Rapp, S, Washington

Round 3, Pick 70: Darrell Henderson, RB, Memphis

Round 3, Pick 79: David Long, CB, Michigan

Round 3, Pick 97: Bobby Evans, OT, Oklahoma

Round 4, Pick 134: Greg Gaines, iDL, Washington

Round 5, Pick 169: David Edwards, OT, Wisconsin

Round 7, Pick 243: Nicholas Scott, S, Penn State

Round 7, Pick 251: Dakota Allen, LB, Texas Tech

Best Pick: Darrell Henderson

As we sat and watched the Super Bowl play out -- not to the delight of the Rams -- we wondered why Todd Gurley was not more involved. After the game and into the offseason we learned that Gurley may have been more hurt than we initially were led to believe. And even beyond that, it was reported that Gurley might have long-term knee concerns that won't get better.

Yeah, not great, Bob.

That's why I love the fact that the Rams hit on this running back class early. What the Rams do with their run game is very important to how they run their play action and ultimately spread the field out. Gurley is a big part of the Rams' success, and they can't just lose his threat as a runner. Henderson has the chance to be a quick impact draft pick depending on what happens with Gurley.

Worst Pick: David Edwards

I'm not a big David Edwards fan, and the fact they picked Bobby Evans in the third round before this makes me not like it even more. Give me Armon Watts, Emeke Egbule or even Rodney Anderson over Edwards after drafting Evans.

Favorite Day 3 Pick: Dakota Allen

Allen is my favorite Day 3 pick because of his story.

He started his collegiate career at Texas Tech where he was the second-leading tackler on the team as just a redshirt freshman. However after the end of that season, he was charged with second-degree burglary along with two teammates and ultimately expelled from Texas Tech; charges were eventually dropped. Following his dismissal, he transferred to East Mississippi Community College, a place many of you know better as "Last Chance U".

If you've ever watched the Netflix show you know that there are players on there who are genuine and there are some that aren't. Amongst all three seasons, I thought Allen was the most genuine, and he was one of the players who I wanted to get a second chance the most. He did, and after some time at EMCC, he transferred back to Texas Tech.

In 2017, Allen had 92 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, and six forced turnovers. He was named to the All-Big 12 by Pro Football Focus and to the second-team All-Big 12 by coaches and media. As a senior, Allen made 73 total tackles, including 6.5 for loss, and was named first team All-Big 12.

He's a long shot to make an NFL roster, but I'm glad he got to see his name go across the ticker as an official drafted player.

Overall Grade: B-

I thought the Rams draft was decent. They traded out of the first round, which was fine, but that left them with lower impact later in the draft. Rapp and Henderson will be good additions. Not sure how much impact they got after that, though.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 05/15/2019 11:31AM by LMU93.