Rams must build depth at secondary, talent at wide receiver through draftAlden Gonzalez
LOS ANGELES -- Les Snead, entering his sixth season as the Los Angeles Rams' general manager, has said he is keeping an open mind in the weeks leading up to the 2017 draft, which is probably wise.
This draft is deep at several positions, and his team has several positions of need.
The Rams still have six players on their roster who were drafted between 2011 and '13, tied for the third-highest total in the NFL according to numbers compiled by ESPN's Ben Goessling. Sustainability like that is a good thing, but that number is a bit deceiving. Under Snead these last five years, the Rams have been unable to adequately build up the offensive line or the receiving corps. They've done pretty well on defense, but a lot of their key players from that defense are now less than a year away from free agency.
So the Rams -- without a first-round pick, but still with four picks within the first four rounds -- can basically load up on any position through the draft and it would seem justified. Well, almost any position.
Below is a ranking of their most urgent needs heading in, based more so on long-term outlook than immediate, impact talent.
1. Cornerbacks/safeties: It's time for the Rams to replenish some depth here, and this draft is deep enough in defensive backs to do it. Since the end of the 2015 season, the Rams have lost their two starting safeties, Rodney McLeod and T.J. McDonald, and their primary cornerback, Janoris Jenkins. The man who filled Jenkins' spot, Trumaine Johnson, is on his second franchise tag and may leave via free agency next offseason. Their projected safeties for 2017, Maurice Alexander and Lamarcus Joyner, are also a year away from free agency. All of them can't get extensions. The Rams haven't taken a defensive back in any of the last two drafts.
2. Wide receivers/tight ends: The only reason this isn't the most pressing draft need is because the Rams at least have some controllable players here. Their two starting receivers, Tavon Austin and Robert Woods, are signed through 2021. Their primary tight end, Tyler Higbee, was drafted last year. So were Pharoh Cooper, Mike Thomas and Temarrick Hemingway. The Rams need more overall talent here than at any other position, but they also need to let their young guys develop.
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