The Los Angeles Rams came out of the draft with some quality additions at positions of need, including safety, cornerback and guard. They had three fewer picks this year (8) than they did a year ago (11), so their haul was somewhat limited quantity-wise, but at least three players should contribute relatively early.
Here are three more positions of need that weren’t exactly addressed in the draft and could use some attention this offseason.
Inside linebacker
Somewhat surprisingly, the Rams waited until the seventh round to address this position. They selected Dakota Allen, who has a checkered past, taking a chance on a player whose draft stock likely took a hit due to a previous arrest. Allen will mostly contribute on special teams, which leaves Micah Kiser as the likely starter next to Cory Littleton.
Sure, Clay Matthews can play inside, too, but the Rams don’t have a surefire starter at that spot. It wouldn’t hurt to add some competition next to Littleton in case Kiser doesn’t pan out or struggles mightily against the pass, which was his weakness in college.
There’s a chance one of the undrafted free agents the Rams brought in will push Kiser, or that Allen will be more than a special teams player, but it’s hard to say Los Angeles ”addressed” this position in the draft.
Edge rusher
Unlike last year when the Rams drafted Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, John Franklin-Myers, Trevon Young and Justin Lawler, they didn’t exactly turn much of their attention to the pass rush this year. That’s likely a testament to how comfortable the Rams are with the likes of Dante Fowler, Matthews, Samson Ebukam and Okoronkwo on the edges.
Whether that’s smart or not remains to be seen, but there doesn’t seem to be a great deal of urgency to improve this unit. The Rams need players who can take pressure off of Aaron Donald inside by winning one-on-one battles outside, which Fowler and Ebukam simply didn’t do enough in 2019.
Center
If there was one player who got the strongest vote of confidence from the front office and coaching staff, it was Brian Allen at center. The Rams drafted two players who can play either guard or tackle, but none who can line up at center. Either Allen has already locked down the starting job somehow, or Austin Blythe is preparing for a move back to center.
Regardless, it was pretty shocking to see them ignore the position in favor of players who can play guard and tackle. Most likely, Allen will be the starting center in Week 1 and for the entirety of the 2019 season, but don’t rule out Blythe competing there or the Rams adding a free agent this summer.
