To the surprise of very few, the Los Angeles Rams traded out of the first round on Thursday night. They sent the 31st overall pick to the Atlanta Falcons, moving back 14 spots and adding a third-round pick in the process.
They traded away from players who were viewed as potential targets in the first round, including Taylor Rapp, Erik McCoy, Juan Thornhill and Jawaan Taylor. Eventually, the Rams wound up at No. 61, which is where they took Rapp.
Sean McVay said on NFL Network during the draft that the Rams would’ve felt comfortable taking him with the 31st overall pick.
“To get a player like Taylor Rapp who we would’ve felt comfortable with potentially taking at 31,” McVay said. “A versatile playmaker, very similar in the mold of what you love about Eric Weddle and John Johnson.”
He elaborated further, calling Rapp one of the best players in the draft for the Rams.
The Rams don’t need Rapp to start right away thanks to Eric Weddle and John Johnson, but he’s going to find a way to get on the field. His versatility as a deep safety, box defender or hybrid linebacker will be a valuable asset to the Rams.
And he’ll only get better by learning from Weddle and Johnson at safety.
“I think to be able to get him in a group where you’re playing and you’re learning behind those two guys, and then based on personnel groupings that we want to activate defensively,” McVay told reporters Friday. “When you’ve got three players that have a versatile skillset you can really put yourself in an advantage situation defensively with guys that can do a lot of different things, and some of the disguises, and different amount of coverages that you can activate, or all these guys have the ability to blitz as well. So, we feel like he fits really well with some of the things that we’re looking for.”
The Rams are excited about adding Rapp to the secondary, as they should be. He’s an excellent player and to be able to get him at No. 61 was a phenomenal value.
