Why the Rams trading up for RB Darrell Henderson was the right moveThe Los Angeles Rams have made their second pick of the 2019 NFL draft. After trading down repeatedly, the Rams actually traded up this time to land the 70th overall selection. With the pick, they drafted running back Darrell Henderson from Memphis.
Twitter immediately lit up, and many were shocked that the Rams would use such an early pick on a running back. A lot of fans were upset with the pick, but for a few reasons, they shouldn’t be.
For starters, Les Snead has done a tremendous job drafting in the middle rounds the past couple of years. It isn’t easy to land starters this late in the draft, but Snead scooped up both John Johnson III and Cooper Kupp in the third round two years ago. He’s earned some leeway from fans, and they should trust his judgment.
Most of the criticism so far has surrounded the Rams using this early of a pick on a running back when they could’ve added to the team elsewhere. Unfortunately, it’s time to acknowledge the reality that it’s increasingly unlikely Todd Gurley will be able to handle the workload that he has the past couple of seasons.
The Rams recently refused to let Malcolm Brown walk in free agency, and they’re clearly concerned about Gurley’s knee. The only ones who truly know what is going on with Gurley’s knee are Gurley himself and members of the organization. And if they feel like another running back was needed then there’s not much reason to doubt them.
Gurley clearly wasn’t right in the playoffs. No matter how much of a hot hand C.J. Anderson had, he wouldn’t have been playing over Gurley if Gurley was anywhere near fully healthy. The Rams are going to need someone to help carry the load during the regular season so that Gurley doesn’t wear down by the time the playoffs start again, and the 70th overall pick isn’t too high of a price to pay.
Getting lost in all of this is the fact that Henderson is a very good player. He was extremely productive in college, averaging an absurd 8.9 yards per carry each of the last two seasons. Last year, he racked up 1,909 yards on 214 carries while adding 22 touchdowns.
Quite simply, the online outrage at the Henderson pick was unwarranted. The Rams still have plenty of other picks where they can add help at other positions, and Snead should be given the benefit of the doubt here.
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theramswire.usatoday.com]
