The Los Angeles Rams had a shot at strengthening their offensive line in the second round with Boise State tackle Ezra Cleveland still on the board at No. 57 overall.
Instead, they took a wide receiver, Van Jefferson, the young stud from Florida, passing on the chance to address the offensive line. Never mind the glaring fact that this team put quarterback Jared Goff in a tough position last season. Never mind the fact that Los Angeles’ offensive line, a unit that struggled to meet expectations due to unproductive play, couldn’t protect against opposing defensive fronts.
They had the ability and authority to put together a strong offensive line had they selected Cleveland. And despite the Boise State product surprisingly being available after a slide down draft boards, the Rams felt the need to choose a receiver over Cleveland.
The issues that plagued the Rams’ offense last season manifested themselves as they replaced two veteran starters with two unproven second-year players; Joseph Noteboom for Rodger Saffold and Brian Allen for John Sullivan. So it would have been nice to see the Rams address the line, in particular, considering the unit had perfect continuity in 2018.
Cleveland was there. But they didn’t call his name. And while Andrew Whitworth and Austin Blythe are both returning to their starting jobs on the line after re-signing with the Rams as free agents, this team still could have used some help up front.
The conversation last season often leaned heavily on Goff’s poor production, when most of the blame should have fallen on his line. The Rams chose not to add reinforcements to protect their quarterback alongside Whitworth and Blythe.
Cleveland is a left tackle by trade, but as a rookie, he could’ve slid over to guard with Whitworth still manning his post at left tackle. Then, if Whitworth decided to retire after the 2020 season, Cleveland would’ve likely been capable of taking over as the starter in 2021.
Many of the Rams’ problems could have been solved by taking Cleveland while he was still sitting and waiting at home with his family. He later found out that he would be taking his 311-pound body to Minnesota, where he will fortify the Vikings offensive line as the No. 58 overall pick.
Sean McVay passed on an athletic left tackle. Les Snead missed out on an effective positional blocker. Cleveland’s potential was not taken into consideration enough, nor were his accomplishments on the college level, where he exhibited his quick hands and ability to seal defenders.
The decision to ignore the offensive line with a player such as Cleveland on the board could come back to bite the Rams.