There’s been a lot of talk about the Los Angeles Rams drafting a running back this year. They’ve hosted several tailbacks for pre-draft visits – including Memphis’ Darrell Henderson – and have reportedly done “a lot of homework” on the position.
That seems illogical with Todd Gurley, Malcolm Brown and John Kelly already on the roster, but with the uncertainty surrounding Gurley’s knee, there could be something to the team’s interest. If they’re going to take a running back in the draft this weekend, one prospect would make a lot of sense.
Bryce Love out of Stanford is an intriguing prospect with a skill set that would fit nicely in Los Angeles behind Gurley. There are concerns about his knee after he tore his ACL last season, which have been raised throughout the pre-draft process.
He’s already viewed as a Day 3 prospect and recent concerns about stiffness in his knee could cause him to fall into Round 6 or 7.
If the Rams are going to take a running back, it shouldn’t be before the sixth round. There could be an argument made for the fifth round, but even that would seem like a reach. A fifth-round pass rusher could contribute right away, whereas a running back is absolutely going to be low on the depth chart no matter what.
Going back to Love, he has a skill set the Rams could be looking for. NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein compares him to Dion Lewis as a big-play threat despite being undersized at 5-foot-9, 200 pounds. He’s quick and agile in the open field, which likely makes him a change-of-pace back at the next level.
He was a Heisman finalist following the 2017 season after rushing for 2,118 yards and 19 touchdowns, so the production is evident. Love took a step back in 2018 while battling through injury, rushing for just 739 yards on 166 attempts.
He would benefit from being eased into an NFL offense, which the Rams have the ability to do. They don’t need an instant starter or even a backup right now. They could add Love in the sixth round, let him develop for a year and potentially deploy him as Gurley’s backup in 2020 if he proves capable.
