Instant analysis: What DT Greg Gaines brings to Rams defense

By: Cameron DaSilva

The Los Angeles Rams landed their second Washington product of the draft on Saturday, trading up to select defensive tackle Greg Gaines 134th overall. With Ndamukong Suh on his way out, the Rams didn’t want to sit back and wait for a nose tackle to fall to them, so they moved up and got their guy in Gaines.

He’s a far different player than Suh, but he should be able to contribute fairly early in his career. He’s 6-foot-1, 312 pounds with slightly shorter arms, but despite being “squatty” for a defensive tackle, he’s a powerful player.

Gaines isn’t nearly as versatile as Suh and he won’t be able to line up at defensive end for the Rams, but Los Angeles won’t ask him to. His primary role will be to eat up blocks, be an anchor on the interior and open things up for his fellow defensive linemen, Aaron Donald and Michael Brockers.

One thing there won’t be any question about is Gaines’ effort. He has as high of a motor as any player in the draft, always working to get off blocks and rally to the football. That wasn’t exactly the case with Suh, who had questions about his effort brought up during his time in Miami and even in Los Angeles.

His durability is not a concern at all, either. He played every single game for the Huskies the last four years, making 149 tackles, 21.5 tackles for loss and even recording 9.5 career sacks – 4.5 coming in 2018 alone.

His run-stop percentage of 9.8 percent ranked 10th of any player at his position in the draft class, according to Pro Football Focus, while also earning a pass-rush productivity mark of 6.5 – good for 12th.

The Rams needed help on the interior of their defense and they’ve found it with Gaines. He may not be Dexter Lawrence or Danny Shelton in terms of his size, but moving him off the ball is not an easy task for offensive linemen.

He improved as a pass rusher throughout his career at Washington, too, and he can expect to get better under the guidance of the Rams’ coaching staff. The tools are already there, they just need refining.

The Rams and their fans should be excited about this pick thanks to Gaines’ upside and ability as a run defender – Los Angeles’ biggest weakness last season.

[theramswire.usatoday.com]