Rams draft picks address future without ignoring present needs...

Rams' draft picks address future without ignoring present needs

[theramswire.usatoday.com]

Cameron DaSilva

The Los Angeles Rams entered the 2019 NFL draft with three picks in the top 100. At one point on Friday night, they had five in the first three rounds, but trades both up and down shifted the picks around.

They ended the second night with four top-100 selections, adding an infusion of young talent to the roster. Their Day 2 haul was a strong one, but there’s clearly one trend that came with each of the four picks: addressing the future without ignoring the present.

By taking safety Taylor Rapp in the second round, the Rams add a starting-caliber defensive back. Marqui Christian and Blake Countess played 406 combined snaps last season as the No. 3 safety, which is what Rapp will be. In three-safety sets, he’ll be the guy trotting onto the field, lining up somewhere near the line of scrimmage or locking up a tight end.

Darrell Henderson, albeit a somewhat puzzling pick, addresses both the present and the future in the backfield. Right away, he’s arguably the Rams’ most explosive running back – no disrespect to Todd Gurley. He can line up out wide, in the backfield, catch screens. And no matter where he touches the ball, he can take it to the house; he averaged 8.9 yards per carry the last two years.

And with all the uncertainty surrounding Gurley’s knee, perhaps Henderson will be needed more than fans think. If his injury truly is arthritis, his career could be cut short, or at the very least force him to have a smaller workload from here on out.

David Long is in a similar situation as Rapp. The Rams don’t need him to start right away, but he’s going to get on the field one way or another. Troy Hill and Sam Shields were the No. 4 cornerbacks last season and played a total of 766 snaps. Those were mostly filling in for the injured Aqib Talib, but Talib can’t be expected to play all 16 games again at the age of 33. Injuries happen and depth is needed.

The Long pick was also made with an eye on the future. Marcus Peters and Talib are both set to hit free agency after this season and there’s no guarantee either will be back. Long is smaller in size, but he has the physicality and athleticism to play outside full-time in the NFL.

And finally, we have Bobby Evans. The Rams knew they had to target offensive linemen in this draft after the departures of Rodger Saffold and John Sullivan, and that’s exactly what they did here. Evans only played left and right tackle in college but Aaron Kromer said on Friday night that the Rams can see him playing four spots on the line – everything but center.

That means he’ll most likely compete at both guard spots and if he loses out, he’ll be the heir to Andrew Whitworth. That’s not a bad trade-off for a draft pick who might not start right away.

So while none of these rookies will be full-time players in 2019, all of them but Henderson will have the chance to start in 2020.