Best 4th round draft picks in Ram history...

[theramswire.usatoday.com]

By: Tanya Ray Fox | 23 hours ago
The Rams are one of the oldest professional teams in American football, dating all the way back to 1936 when the franchise was started in Cleveland. Over the last eight decades, they have built a rich history – which includes drafting some of the greatest football players of all time.

However, without a first round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, the Rams will have to find talent buried down in the depths of the draft prospect charts.


These are the top prospects from Los Angeles that the Rams could draft
Since they have two picks in the 4th round, we’ve decided to go through their drafting history and find the players who offered the Rams the biggest return on their late, fourth-round selections.

Norm Van Brocklin – 1949
Quarterback (Oregon) – 4th round – 37th overall

Van Brocklin, also known as “the Dutchman” is one of the first truly legendary modern American professional football QBs. He played his first eight seasons with the Rams, helping them to the first of two NFL Championships he’d win in his nine-time Pro Bowl career. He was notably named the NFL MVP with the Philadelphia Eagles in 1960, his final season as player before going on to coach for 14 seasons – first for the Minnesota Vikings and then the Atlanta Falcons.

Van Brocklin was inducted into the the College Football Hall of Fame in 1966 and both the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the Eagles Hall of Fame in 1971.


The best players ever selected at No. 37 overall in the NFL Draft
Charlie Cowan – 1961
Offensive lineman (New Mexico Highlands) – 4th round – 45th overall

Cowan was a guard and tackle for the Rams for the entirety of his impressive 15-year career. His 206 game appearances is third in franchise history, behind Pro Hall of Famers Jackie Slater (259) and Merlin Olsen (208). A Los Angeles Times article from 1990 described the Rams legend as “more mountain than man, at 6-foot-4 and 270 pounds, dominating defensive ends in an era of restrictive, no-hand, chicken-wing blocking techniques.”

Cowan was a member of the Los Angeles Rams 40th Anniversary Team, alongside Slater and another HOF-er, Tom Mack – as well as Dennis Harrah and Rich Saul.


Creating the All-Time Rams Roster: Offensive Line
Vince Ferragamo – 1977
Quarterback (Nebraska) – 4th -round – 91st overall

While Ferragamo wasn’t the all-time, franchise talent that predecessors Van Brocklin and Bob Waterfield were, he did start 44 regular season games for the Rams as well as six playoff games – including Super Bowl XIV. Getting seven seasons of service and a few playoff runs out of a fourth round pick at quarterback is absolutely a win for the Rams.


Here is the list of presenters for every Rams pick at the 2017 NFL Draft
Rod Perry – 1975
Defensive back (Colorado) – 4th round – 98th overall

Perry played eight seasons and made 118 appearances (81 starts) for the Rams, mostly playing cornerback. His stats over that time include 28 interceptions for 386 yards and four touchdowns, as well as five fumble recoveries. He was selected to the Pro Bowl twice as a Ram.


Creating the All-Time Rams Roster: Cornerback
Vince Newsome – 1983
Defensive back (Washington) – 4th round- 97th overall

Newsome is another player who gets points for longevity, having started in 100 of his 141 apperances for the Rams at defensive back for eight seasons – mostly playing safety. In that time, Newsome nabbed 16 interceptions for 313 yards and a touchdown along with 10 fumble recoveries and 4.0 sacks.

Doug Reed – 1983
Defensive end (San Diego State) – 4th round – 111th overall

After battling injuries in 1983 and ’84, Reed was tasked with replacing the retired Jack Youngblood on the defensive line – starting all six games and turning in a respectable 7.0 sacks. He went on to start 64 more games for the Rams over the following five seasons, recording 14.0 more sacks as a mainstay on the line before injuries forced him to retire prior to the 1991 season.