It’ll be another four months before a single rookie plays his first NFL snap, but draft grades have become commonplace across the internet. Judging a draft class this early is difficult, but by basing it on value and pre-draft rankings, it’s possible to examine just how well a team did with its picks.
Rotoworld’s Thor Nystrom ranked every draft class – including undrafted free agents – and assigned grades to each one. He does this quantitatively by using a formula that assigns each team a “haul grade” by using pre-draft rankings compared to where a player was picked.
The Los Angeles Rams checked in at No. 6 with a grade of A-minus, despite not making a first-round pick.
Like the Saints, the Rams didn’t have a ton of draft equity to play with. But they made of what they had, snapping up a value pick basically every time they submitted a card.
My favorite pick was Michigan CB David Long at 3.79. A highly-underrated player, Long looks poised to outplay his draft slot.
David Long was Nystrom’s No. 36 overall prospect heading into the draft, so the Rams got a great value by selecting him with the 79th pick. Taylor Rapp, meanwhile, was ranked 56th by Nystrom and wound up going 61st overall after the Rams traded back three times.
The biggest “reach” Los Angeles made was selecting Nick Scott 243rd overall. He was Nystrom’s 372nd-ranked prospect, behind five of the Rams’ undrafted free agents.
