Finding a way to draft Greg Gaines was Rams' 'first priority' on Day 3
Cameron DaSilva
[
theramswire.usatoday.com]
Since switching to a 3-4 defense in 2017 with the arrival of Wade Phillips, the Los Angeles Rams have been searching for a long-term answer at center. Michael Brockers played there initially, but he was switched to defensive end mid-season in 2017.
Ndamukong Suh was signed as a free agent last year, inking a $14 million deal for one season in L.A. He remains on the market, but he’s not in the Rams’ plans anymore. They entered the draft still in need of a replacement for Suh, and on Saturday afternoon, they may have found the perfect guy to fill his big shoes.
The Rams traded up into the fourth round to select Washington nose tackle Greg Gaines, someone they scouted at the Senior Bowl. The 6-foot-1, 312-pounder may not be as tall or versatile as Suh, but he’s stout and excels at taking on blocks, anchoring down in the middle of the defense.
General manager Les Snead is a huge fan of the Washington product and it’s clear the Rams had their eye on him for a while. Their top goal on Day 3 was to select Gaines at some point.
“The first priority was to try to figure out how we could get to a spot in the draft and draft Gaines to fill the nose tackle type spot in our base defense,” Snead said.
The Rams didn’t waste any time, moving up 28 spots to go get their guy on Saturday. Wade Phillips already views him as a potential replacement for Suh, saying the Rams have a spot for him now that Ndamukong Suh is gone.
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Sean McVay was asked if Gaines will be the starter at nose tackle in base packages right away, and while he didn’t go as far as to say that, he did indicate the rookie will have a great chance to be the top guy.
“He’s going to get a chance to compete, but he is a guy that we identified that we feel like really will do a great job as a nose guard in our base package,” McVay said. “You look at a physical, stout player – he was an outstanding, productive player for Washington. But then when you get a chance to really watch the Senior Bowl, where he’s going against some of the best interior linemen in this draft, guys that we really thought highly of – I think you got a sense for what a competitive player he is. A guy that loves football, kind of in the mold of what you’ve heard us talk about.”
One area the Rams must improve in is their run defense. They were 32nd in the NFL last season in yards per carry allowed and really struggled to stop opposing teams’ ground games. There are a number of factors that played into that, including Suh’s ineffectiveness, poor linebacker play and a lack of cohesiveness, but Gaines can hopefully help in those departments.
“What Greg was able to do at Washington and then when you see the production he had at the Senior Bowl, that really is what we felt really strongly about,” McVay continued. “I think some of the things we talked about – how we get better specific to our scheme, but then also defensively in terms of playing the run a little bit better. I think that will be a key factor of being really stout inside and we feel like Greg will provide that.”
