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The Los Angeles Rams feel they came away with two impact players on the second night of the draft, selecting wide receiver Tutu Atwell 57th overall and linebacker Ernest Jones in the third round at No. 103. But might they have been eyeing other players with those picks, only to see their targets drafted just before going on the clock?
General manager Les Snead suggested after the third round concluded that the Rams had “a lot of enemies” who made decisions for them with the selections they made just in front of Los Angeles.
“It was obviously fun to get rolling again, drafting, and maneuvering a little bit, trying to find some football players to help us,” Snead said to open his media session. “I think we were able to accomplish that tonight. Where we were picking, there was an element of waiting and letting the draft come to you a little bit because if you want to call it – there was a lot of enemies in front of us that made decisions for us, but we were jacked the way it turned out and we’re jacked to add a fourth-rounder for tomorrow and have three in Round 4.”
Looking back at the draft board, there are some obvious spots where the Rams may have been targeting a player who was taken right before their eyes. In Round 2, the Seahawks took speedy receiver D’Wayne Eskridge at No. 56 overall, a player the Rams met with before the draft and someone who has great return skills. He’s also a dynamic deep threat like Atwell. If Eskridge was on the board at pick 57, it’s easy to imagine the Rams taking him instead of Atwell.
Five picks before the Rams went on the clock in the second round, the Browns took linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah at No. 52 overall. He was in an all-out free fall after being a first-round prospect in most analysts eyes, but the Rams never had a chance to draft him. Might he have been on their radar in Round 2?
Then in the third round, the Vikings took guard Wyatt Davis and the Steelers took interior lineman Kendrick Green with the two picks right before the Rams were set to pick at No. 88. Instead of staying and picking someone, they traded back 29 spots in a deal with the 49ers. If Green was still available, perhaps the Rams would’ve stayed and taken him.
And finally, there was a run on potential targets right before L.A. drafted at pick 103. Center Quinn Meinerz, cornerback Elijah Molden and cornerback Ifeatu Melifonwu went 98th, 100th and 101st, respectively, all of whom could’ve been players the Rams liked – especially Meinerz, who had a pre-draft meeting with them.
There’s always some luck involved in the draft and players you like will always be taken before you can get them. That seemed to be the case here on Friday night for the Rams.
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