[theathletic.com]

No, really — why didn’t the Rams add to their offensive line despite a strong draft class?


By Jourdan Rodrigue 3m ago
Slowly — at times, agonizingly slowly — the Rams’ picks slipped one by one off the draft board.

Receiver. Linebacker. Defensive tackle. Cornerback. Then a bevy of players who will, reasonably, be expected to contribute on special teams, with upside for larger roles. More receivers. A running back.

But no offensive linemen? Not in this class, surely — a class so lauded by analysts and scouts across the league for its depth at nearly every position along the line, from tackle to guard to center, and then back out to tackle again? In fact, even as Day 3 began, chatter from the Rams’ draft house in Malibu, Calif., was focused more on these special-teamers with possibility, and nobody was really pounding the table for offensive linemen even after Friday’s picks, at which the Rams could have had their choice of them.

It was a reminder, of course, that the things we on the outside perceive to be “needs” for a team aren’t always agreed upon behind closed doors.

But seriously, one offensive lineman drafted in two years (Tremayne Anchrum — a seventh-rounder with promise whom the Rams picked up in 2020)?!

What gives?

“There’s a lot of depth with the 11 players that we had in the offensive line room, going into today, all of them have played meaningful games and they’re guys that we project as real NFL guys,” head coach Sean McVay said. “I think it’s a reflection of the confidence of the group that we do have in place. It’s just kind of how things shook out.”

It’s a gamble by the Rams, but apparently in light of changes to their coaching staff that included the parting of ways with longtime offensive line coach Aaron Kromer, and the hiring of Stanford’s Kevin Carberry (who held the same role there), the team this offseason decided to revisit its direction at the position.

One source with knowledge of those conversation believes that McVay and Carberry are looking to add a little sand-in-the-pants power to McVay’s trademark outside-zone system, which in part would mean getting a bit bulkier at center (and clearly was part of the reason the front office was cool with sticking to a low, salary-cap-friendly offer to former starter Austin Blythe, who actually chose instead to sign in Kansas City for slightly cheaper this spring … aside from the fact that they were up against a shrunken cap, of course).

The source believes that, as things currently stand entering spring workouts, the Rams feel their best five players — from left to right — are longtime left tackle Andrew Whitworth, guard David Edwards, center (!!) Austin Corbett, who the Rams initially avoided putting at center to the point of starting Blythe there because they felt Corbett was better at guard (and played full-time guard last year after a strong showing there in 2019), Bobby Evans and Rob Havenstein.

Depth at center, which is the biggest 2021 roster spot in question, includes former fourth-round pick Brian Allen, who missed all of 2020 with a leg injury, and Coleman Shelton, who has never started a game for the Rams.

In fairness, starting a rookie would be a gamble, too — even if that rookie was gotten with an early pick. Perhaps, when faced with two risky scenarios, the Rams are opting for a “come what may” approach with their rostered players (and express believable optimism in them as known entities), rather than vault into a more unknown player who may be tougher to project in their system than guys they’ve watched practice every day.

“We did know, going into this draft, that if we did take an offensive lineman it would really be maybe a ‘redshirt’ year,” GM Les Snead said. “It would be hard for an offensive lineman to be one of our eight (active players), no matter how good you were coming into this group.”

Both McVay and Snead also were adamant that they targeted “their” guys, speaking on behalf of themselves and their staff. Most of their prospects taken fit hyper-athletic profiles, will add speed on both sides of the ball and they especially hammered in on special teams coverage guys in tight end/receiver Jacob Harris (perhaps the top-rated special teams player in the draft), running back Jake Funk and receiver Ben Skowronek. In McVay’s system, the receivers in particular should have some upside, and Skowronek will play everything from tight end to fullback (and sounded like he can’t wait to pop somebody). It’s tough to argue with any of the defensive picks, because of the Rams’ losses in free agency — particularly their very intriguing adds of linebacker Ernest Jones, outside linebacker Chris Garrett and cornerback Robert Rochell.

And to hear McVay’s comments pre-draft, they did plenty of due diligence on offensive line prospects, both with new line coach Kevin Carberry (both Stanford linemen were taken before the Rams’ picks at their respective slots, though it’s not clear whether the Rams were high on them in the first place) and held multiple meetings with certain prospects such as Wisconsin-Whitewater center Quinn Meinerz (drafted by Denver at No. 98). They did, through the time of this writing, agree to terms with at least two undrafted free agents in Iowa tackle Alaric Johnson and Western Kentucky center Jordan Meredith.

The reality is — and prepare to clench up — adding along the offensive line was not a priority for the Rams in this draft … not even in preparation for a future in which three currently-rostered players (Joe Noteboom, Corbett and Allen) are unrestricted free agents in 2022, Whitworth has an “out” in his contract after 2021 (he and Havenstein are free agents in 2023, as are Evans and Edwards — and those contracts could come due a year early depending on their playing time in 2021).

It often takes linemen — particularly those outside of the first round, where the Rams will be picking into the foreseeable future — at least a year to really start to hit the NFL learning curve, both physically and mentally. Sure, the Rams will have limited roster space because of their returning linemen, and perhaps want to avoid trying to stash a guy on the practice squad — but not even one guy, one developmental project with starter promise? Those could have been had as deep as the fourth round, and now float on a UDFA and a prayer.

It’s surprising, considering all of the nuances and challenges of the position and the investment the team made into veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford — who was lauded for his toughness after too many hits in Detroit, but surely would hope to thrive in quieter West-Coast waters?

The Rams had a poker table set up in the Malibu draft house, but I didn’t realize they’d gamble like this during the draft itself.