It’s report card time.
With the 2020 NFL Draft officially in the books, and after months of evaluating hundreds of prospects, the Los Angeles Rams have wrapped up their latest class of players.
They made nine picks in total, including five on Day 3 Saturday. Surprisingly, they only made one trade all weekend, moving back from No. 126 to 136, picking up two seventh-rounders in the process.
To recap a busy day on Saturday, we’ve handed out grades for all five picks on Day 3. You can also find our Day 2 grades here.
Round 4, 136th overall: TE Brycen Hopkins, Purdue
Like the Rams’ first two picks of the draft, the selection of Hopkins was somewhat unexpected. He’s a great athlete at tight end, but he also has unreliable hands after dropping 22 passes in his college career. Not to mention, the Rams already have Tyler Higbee and Gerald Everett on the depth chart.
Yes, Everett and Johnny Mundt will be free agents in 2021, but the Rams could’ve gotten an immediate contributor like Troy Dye or Tyler Biadasz in the fourth round instead. That being said, Hopkins could develop into a dangerous receiving threat in Year 2 or for the Rams. He just has to improve his hands and develop as a blocker if he wants to be an all-around tight end.
Grade: B-
Round 6, 199th overall: S Jordan Fuller, Ohio State
It was surprising to see the Rams go back to the secondary after taking Terrell Burgess in the third round, but Fuller is a player who can contribute on special teams and in matchup situations with tight ends. Though not the fastest safety there is, Fuller is smart and shows good awareness, which allows him to be in the right place at the right time.
His ceiling is going to be limited by his lack of speed and range in the middle of the field, but as a No. 3 safety, he makes sense on the depth chart. He can play free or strong safety, and if he bulks up some, he can turn into a hybrid safety-linebacker down the road.
The Rams once again passed on linebacker and offensive line help, though, which lowers the positional value of this pick.
Grade: C+
Round 7, 234th overall: LB Clay Johnston, Baylor
The Rams waited, and waited, and waited to add a linebacker in the draft, and they finally pulled the trigger in Round 7 with Johnston. He’s not the rangiest linebacker or the best in coverage, but he’s a stout run defender who always finds the ball.
He had 58 tackles in just six games at Baylor last season before tearing his ACL in October. That injury surely pushed him down draft boards, but the Rams feel comfortable enough with it to take him in the seventh.
There weren’t many better options out there at linebacker when this pick was made, and even though he may be late to contribute due to the torn ACL, he could develop into a solid two-down linebacker.
Grade: B+
Round 7, 248th overall: K Sam Sloman, Miami (Ohio)
Sloman was linked to the Rams leading up to the draft after it was revealed that they were showing interest in him. And when they traded back to acquire two seventh-round picks, it came as no surprise that the Rams selected him.
He joins Austin MacGinnis and Hirim Hajrullahu in the kicker competition to replace Greg Zuerlein, and he’s just as qualified as the two guys he’ll be going up against. Last season, he made 86.7% of his FG tries and went 11-for-14 from beyond 40 yards.
The Rams need all the competition they can get at kicker, so this was a wise pick. The only surprising part is that they left Georgia kicker Rodrigo Blankenship on the board.
Grade: B
Round 7, 250th overall: OL Tremayne Anchrum, Clemson
With one of the final picks of the draft, it’s hard to find much value. However, the Rams may have gotten a late-round steal with Anchrum. He played tackle at Clemson but he’ll move inside to guard in the NFL. Though he lacks size and length, he’s perfect for a zone-blocking scheme and is quick enough to get out on the edge when asked to pull on run plays.
Anchrum won’t be a starter in 2020, but he should make the roster and will at the very least be a quality depth option behind whoever wins the starting jobs. It would’ve been nice to see the Rams address the O-line earlier, but Anchrum is a good value in Round 7.
Grade: A
