The Los Angeles Rams wrapped up their third draft of the Sean McVay-Les Snead era this weekend, adding eight rookies to the roster and a bunch of other undrafted free agents. Snead did well to accumulate picks and use them to move up later in the draft, grabbing players the Rams coveted.
As with every draft, there are winners and losers. Here are those from the Rams’ 2019 draft haul.
Winners
C Brian Allen
The Rams surprisingly didn’t take a single center in the draft, opting to take two offensive linemen who can play every position but center. That’s great news for Allen, who’s competing to replace John Sullivan in the middle of the line.
It was widely believed that the Rams would target someone like Erik McCoy, Garrett Bradbury or Elgton Jenkins, but they didn’t come away with any of them. It either shows faith in Allen or indicates the Rams missed out on their targets – or both.
Regardless, it’s a good sign for the second-year player.
LB Micah Kiser
Kiser is penciled in as the starter next to Cory Littleton at inside linebacker and like Allen, he’ll benefit from less competition being added to the linebacker corps. Yes, the Rams spent a seventh-round pick on Dakota Allen, but he’ll primarily be a special teams player – at least early on.
The Rams will most likely add more competition at the position for Kiser, but the fact that they didn’t spend a Day 2 pick on a linebacker is interesting.
Sean McVay
Les Snead said after the second night of the draft that the Rams have been trying to add a “change-of-pace” back since McVay was hired. They tried it with lance Dunbar, but he couldn’t stay healthy. Now, McVay appears to have gotten his guy in Henderson.
It’s dangerous to think about what one of the NFL’s most innovative coaches is going to do with arguably the most explosive running back in the 2019 draft. He’ll find creative ways to get Henderson the ball, whether it’s on screens, as a wide receiver or out of the backfield on handoffs.
OL David Edwards
Edwards is a raw offensive line prospect, but he couldn’t have asked for a much better situation than the one he’s in with the Rams. He’ll get the chance to compete for the starting job at left guard, and if he loses out there, he’ll either be Rob Havenstein’s backup or add depth at another spot.
Regardless, he’ll get to learn behind Havenstein and Andrew Whitworth for a year, while also bulking up in the weight room.
Losers
RB Todd Gurley
No one truly knows what’s wrong with Gurley’s knee besides himself, but the two-time All-Pro isn’t giving any indication that next season will be different than the end of 2018. The strongest indication that Gurley’s knee may not be normal came when the Rams drafted Darrell Henderson 70th overall, trading up to take him.
Given his draft position, Henderson is going to get playing time and receive touches. Of course, any touches he gets will take away from those Gurley gets, which is bad news for the 2017 Offensive Player of the Year.
CB Troy Hill
Despite having three quality starters already, the Rams spent a third-round pick on David Long out of Michigan. That doesn’t bode well for Hill, who’s on a contract with no guaranteed money in his $2 million salary. In other words, the Rams can cut him at any time and not pay any penalty in dead money.
Unless he really struggles in camp, Long is most likely going to be the team’s No. 4 cornerback and carve out a role in sub-packages as a dime defender.
DBs Blake Countess and Marqui Christian
The Rams drafted not one, but two safeties this weekend. Taylor Rapp looks like the perfect replacement for Christian, bringing outstanding quickness and size to the defense. He’ll have a chance to be the No. 3 safety on the roster, which bumps Christian and Countess down the depth chart.
Countess is in a similar situation as Christian and might have to contribute more at cornerback than safety to get on the field next season. The late-round addition of Nick Scott doesn’t bode well for Countess’ roster spot.
