ESPN on all Rams 4 early picks

Round 1, No. 19: Jared Verse, DE, Florida State
My take: The Rams had a clear need on the defensive line after defensive tackle Aaron Donald retired. General manager Les Snead said adding to that area of the field would be a priority at some point in the draft, but Los Angeles addressed the need right away by making Verse their first first-round pick since 2016. Kobie Turner, who played nose tackle for the Rams last season, has enough versatility that it allowed the Rams to replace Donald's production elsewhere on the defensive line. Verse lined up almost exclusively on the defense's right side in 2023 at Florida State. According to ESPN Stats & Information, 86% of his defensive snaps came at either right defensive end or right outside linebacker.

Key stat: Donald led the Rams last season with 45 pressures, according to ESPN Stats & Info. The next-highest mark was rookie outside linebacker Byron Young, who had 35. Verse won't be expected to replace Donald's production on his own, but he did have 9.0 sacks in 2023, which ranked third in the ACC. He also had 50 pressures, which were the eighth-most in the FBS last season.

Is this pick for depth or does it fill a hole? This is a good match of a hole the Rams needed to fill and a player they had rated highly on their draft board. With 14 offensive players off the board to start the draft, only three defensive players had been taken when Los Angeles was on the clock at 19. Verse should make an immediate impact for a Rams team that has lost significant veteran defensive players in the last two years.

What's next: The Rams still have 10 picks remaining, including one in the second round (No. 52) and two in the third round (Nos. 83 and 99) on Saturday night. Los Angeles still has several needs on the defensive side of the ball, and could add talent in the secondary with a Day 2 pick.


Melina Myers/USA TODAY Sports
Round 2, No. 39 (via CAR): Braden Fiske, DT, Florida State
My take: The Rams continue to add talent to their defense, taking a Florida State defensive player for the second day in a row. After Donald's retirement, the Rams clearly knew they needed to reload on the defensive side of the ball and they did that on Friday by sending a noteworthy return to the Panthers to trade up from the 52nd pick. This is the first time since 2003 the Rams have taken defensive players with each of their first two picks and Fiske is the first defensive tackle drafted by the Rams in the first two rounds since Donald in 2014.

Key stat: Over the last two seasons, Fiske has 11.5 sacks when lined up as defensive tackle, which is the second-most in the FBS over that span. He also created 11 sacks over the last two seasons when lined up as defensive tackle, which was tied for the most in FBS, according to ESPN Stats & Information. Donald had eight sacks last season in Los Angeles and led the team in pressures.

Ties to the team to know: Fiske was college teammates with Verse, the Rams' first pick. Verse arrived at the Rams' draft house in Hermosa Beach for his introductory press conference as Los Angeles was trading up for Fiske. Verse ran up the stairs to where the pick was being made and got to talk to Fiske. He said the pair had talked about how cool it would be to be NFL teammates and now that it has happened, it feels surreal.

Round 3, No. 83: Blake Corum, RB, Michigan
My take: The Rams went into the draft knowing they wanted to draft a running back to back up Kyren Williams. Williams was a breakout star last season but had a heavy workload without a reliable backup option. Williams averaged 21.6 touches per game last season and finished third in rushing despite only playing in 12 games. Corum has started every game he's played in over the last two seasons at Michigan and should make an impact right away. Last season, Corum set the Michigan single-season records for rushing touchdowns (27) and total touchdowns (28).

Is this pick for depth or does it fill a hole? This fills a hole for the Rams, as they needed a reliable backup. Los Angeles also has Ronnie Rivers and 2023 sixth-round pick Zach Evans on the roster, but drafting Corum on Day 2 shows how important it was to the Rams to add to the position.

Round 3, No. 99: Kamren Kinchens, S, Miami
My take: Kinchens brings more depth to a position group the Rams knew they'd need to address at some point during the draft. The Rams added Kamren Curl in free agency after Jordan Fuller signed with the Panthers and Los Angeles also has 2022 sixth-round pick Quentin Lake and seventh-round pick Russ Yeast on the roster. When discussing Kinchens after the draft, head coach Sean McVay said he was one of the players the Rams "expect to come in and be big time factors."

What we're hearing about Kinchens: "I think you see the toughness," McVay said. "The range, being able to play sideline to sideline, his deep defense feel, you can see. At the point of contact, there's no flinch. He's got great ball production." Kinchens has 11 interceptions since 2022, the most by any FBS player over that span, according to ESPN Stats & Information. Last season, the Rams had 10 interceptions, which ranked 23rd in the NFL.

[www.espn.com]

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