Tag: rams draft

History of 57th overall pick: 2 Pro Bowlers, 2 Rams selected since 2000

Looking at which players have been drafted 57th overall, including two current Rams.

In what’s become a yearly tradition, the Los Angeles Rams will be waiting a little while to make their first pick in the NFL draft. This year, their first selection comes at No. 57 overall, five picks later than their initial pick was in 2020.

They’ll still be able to land a Day 1 starter at this spot, depending on the position they target. They could also trade down and stockpile picks, considering they only have six of them.

With the draft coming up this month, we took a look back at all the players selected 57th overall since 2000, spanning 21 years of drafts. There hasn’t been an overwhelming amount of success at this spot, but there were two Pro Bowlers and two current Rams selected at No. 57.

Rams select QB-turned-LB Chazz Surratt in Todd McShay’s new mock draft

The Rams finally add some linebacker help by selecting Chazz Surratt out of North Carolina in Round 2.

The inside linebacker position has essentially been ignored by the Los Angeles Rams in the last two offseasons after losing Cory Littleton in free agency a year ago. The only notable addition they’ve made was drafting Clay Johnston in the seventh round last year, but he didn’t even make the 53-man roster.

They should certainly consider selecting a linebacker early in this month’s draft, and in Todd McShay’s latest mock for ESPN, that’s exactly what they do. McShay has the Rams taking UNC linebacker Chazz Surratt at No. 57, injecting some speed and athleticism to an underwhelming position group.

57. Los Angeles Rams
Chazz Surratt, ILB, North Carolina

The Rams are also without a first-rounder, but they do at least have a pair of third-rounders coming shortly after this pick. Cap space was a little tight this offseason, but L.A. re-signed Leonard Floyd. Still, the Rams could really use a weakside linebacker, and Surratt has sideline-to-sideline range and natural instincts.

Surratt is a former quarterback who switched to linebacker in 2019 and immediately excelled. He recorded 115 tackles (15 for a loss) and 6.5 sacks two seasons ago, picking off one pass and forcing one fumble. In 2020, he had 91 tackles (7.5 for a loss) and six sacks in 11 games, once again recording one interception and a forced fumble.

He’s a rangy linebacker with excellent sideline-to-sideline speed, but he also comes with some risk. Having played the position for just two years, he’s somewhat inexperienced. He’s also not the biggest or longest linebacker, measuring 6-foot-2 and 229 pounds with 30-inch arms.

There’s no doubt Surratt would help the Rams next season, but center is an equally pressing need. And in McShay’s mock, he has Oklahoma center Landon Dickerson and Wisconsin-Whitewater’s Quinn Meinerz coming off the board in the two picks right before the Rams at No. 57.

If either of those players is available to the Rams later this month, it could be hard for them to pass after losing Austin Blythe.

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Rams had pre-draft meeting with Oregon CB Thomas Graham Jr.

The Rams could be looking for cornerback help this offseason and Thomas Graham Jr. is a good target in the draft.

Cornerback is viewed as a position of need for just about every team, given how often defenses use nickel and dime packages where there are at least three corners on the field. It’s certainly up there on the Rams’ priority list this offseason, seeing as both Darious Williams and Troy Hill are pending free agents.

To prepare for potential losses, and seeking depth at the position, the Rams have begun looking at cornerback prospects in the draft. According to Justin Melo of The Draft Network, the Rams recently held a pre-draft meeting with Oregon cornerback Thomas Graham Jr. over videoconference.

Graham didn’t play in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, opting out after the Pac 12 initially canceled the season. But in each of the previous three seasons, he played at least 13 games and was a ball hawk.

In 2017, he picked off three passes and made 62 tackles, breaking up four total passes. The following year, he once again picked off three passes (including one pick-six) and had a whopping 18 pass breakups. In 2019, he pulled in two interceptions, broke up 10 passes and made a career-high 64 tackles.

Graham improved his stock at the Senior Bowl, standing out in practice in Mobile. He’s great in man coverage, mirroring the routes of opposing wide receivers.

Graham probably won’t be a first-round pick and is more likely to land sometime on Day 2 or 3. If the Rams can’t come to terms on a deal with Hill or somehow can’t keep Williams as a restricted free agent, Graham could be a mid-round target for them.

Rams met virtually with Division III center Quinn Meinerz

The Rams have their eyes on the small-school center, likely as a center.

The pre-draft process will look very different this year as a result of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, with the NFL scrapping the scouting combine in its traditional format. Meetings will prospects will continue to be held virtually, while pro days will become increasingly important to watch, too.

The Rams have begun meeting with prospects already, and according to Justin Melo of The Draft Network, they held a pre-draft Zoom session with Wisconsin-Whitewater center Quinn Meinerz.

Meinerz was a standout player at the Senior Bowl this year, which is where he gained a lot of exposure nationally. Being a small-school prospect, his stock has been on the rise ever since his performance in Mobile.

Gathering intel on him is extremely important, too, because he’s a Division III prospect who didn’t play in 2020 due to the cancellation of non-FBS football last season. But after dominating in 2019, he could find himself being drafted in the second or third round come April.

Austin Blythe is set to be a free agent and if he leaves, the Rams’ interest in Meinerz could grow as they search for a replacement in the middle of their offensive line.

3-round mock draft: Rams add CB help first, address OLB and OT later

The Rams make three picks in Chad Reuter’s mock draft for NFL.com.

Though they don’t have a first-round pick this year, the Los Angeles Rams are still equipped to add some young talent to their roster in April. They’ll pick at No. 57 overall and are projected to have two third-round picks in the form of compensatory selections for the departure of Dante Fowler Jr. last year and Brad Holmes being hired by the Lions this offseason.

So in total, they’ll have three picks in the first three rounds, even after agreeing to trade a third-rounder to the Lions in the Matthew Stafford trade. In Chad Reuter’s latest three-round mock draft, the Rams make three selections, as he’s assuming they traded their original third-round pick to the Lions.

Reuter has them making picks at Nos. 57, 101 and 104 overall. Here are the players he mocked to the Rams.

  • 57. UCF CB Aaron Robinson
  • 101. Duke OLB Chris Rumph II
  • 104. East Carolina OT D’Ante Smith

The Rams aren’t desperate for cornerback help in 2021, but it’s certainly a position they should address at some point. Troy Hill will be an unrestricted free agent, while Darious Williams will be a restricted free agent.

It’ll be hard for the Rams to keep both, and David Long Jr. may not have shown the coaching staff enough to make them feel strongly enough about him as a lock to start. Robinson has good size and speed, especially for a slot cornerback. He would be able to replace Hill in the slot, which would allow Williams and Jalen Ramsey to remain outside the majority of the time.

In Round 3, the Rams address what might be their most pressing need: edge rusher. Leonard Floyd and Samson Ebukam will both be free agents and Terrell Lewis struggled to stay healthy as a rookie. Rumph had 17.5 sacks and 33 tackles for loss in his career and could be a Day 2 pick.

Three picks later, the Rams add Smith. He only played one game in 2020 due to injury but was UCF’s left tackle the two years prior. Andrew Whitworth is unlikely to retire this offseason but he could be done after the 2021 campaign, at which point the Rams will need a replacement. Smith shouldn’t be seen as an immediate starter, but in the Rams’ case, he could sit for a year before getting a chance to replace Whitworth protecting Matthew Stafford’s blindside.

2021 NFL mock draft: Rams grab potential long-term solution at LT in 2nd round

James Hudson is a raw prospect, but one with a high ceiling.

All signs point toward Andrew Whitworth returning to the Rams for the 2021 season, so long as they’ll have him back. He seems intent on playing a 16th season in the NFL at the age of 40 and being under contract through 2022, it only seems logical that the Rams would welcome him back.

But regardless of whether Whitworth returns in 2021, the Rams need to begin searching for his eventual replacement. In Luke Easterling’s new two-round mock draft for Draft Wire, he has the Rams finding a potential heir to Whitworth’s throne.

At No. 57 overall, Easterling has the Rams selecting Cincinnati left tackle James Hudson. He’s a raw left tackle prospect with a somewhat limited sample size playing the position in college, but he’s a talented player with a high ceiling. He performed well at the Senior Bowl and has the requisite size teams look for at left tackle (6-foot-4, 302 pounds).

Hudson is projected to be a second- or third-round pick in April and whichever team selects him will be getting a promising player, but maybe not one ready to contribute right away as a starter. Fortunately for the Rams, they don’t need an immediate starter.

Whitworth should be back in 2021 and with Joe Noteboom only having one year left on his contract, he’s not certain to be a long-term option to replace Whitworth. Hudson would give the Rams yet another player to compete for the position down the road, along with Bobby Evans and possibly even Tremayne Anchrum.

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Rams’ projected 2021 draft picks after Matthew Stafford trade

The Rams are projected to have just one pick in the top 100 this year.

Few teams, if any, have been as active on the trade market as the Los Angeles Rams in the last two years. They’ve struck a number of deals to both acquire and give up players, which has shifted where they’ll pick in the upcoming 2021 NFL draft.

Their latest deal was to acquire Matthew Stafford for two first-round picks (2022 and 2023), a 2021 third-rounder and Jared Goff, which will become official at the start of the new league year on March 17.

The Rams had already lost their first-rounder, fourth-rounder and fifth-rounder this year as a result of the Jalen Ramsey and Austin Corbett deals, so this trade for Stafford will cost them another mid-round pick. Fortunately, they will get 2021 and 2022 third-round compensatory picks back for the loss of Brad Holmes this offseason, and are projected to receive mid-round picks for losing Dante Fowler Jr. and Cory Littleton last year, according to Over The Cap.

Here’s an updated projection of the Rams’ 2021 draft picks. Their projected selections are in bold and their lost picks are italicized.

Round 1

  • No pick (Jalen Ramsey trade)

Round 2

  • No. 57

Round 3

  • No. 89 traded in Matthew Stafford deal
  • Compensatory pick (via Brad Holmes hiring)
  • Compensatory pick (via Dante Fowler Jr. loss)

Round 4

  • No. 121 traded in Jalen Ramsey deal
  • Compensatory pick (via Cory Littleton loss)

Round 5

  • No pick (Austin Corbett trade)

Round 6

  • No. 189 (projected)

Round 7

  • No. 217 (projected)

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Rams are 1st team to earn compensatory picks thanks to NFL’s new hiring initiative

Here’s an updated look at the Rams’ projected draft picks in 2021 after receiving two compensatory picks for losing Brad Holmes.

The NFL approved a new hiring initiative in November that rewards teams that lose minority coaching and GM candidates to other teams by compensating them with draft picks. And fittingly, the Rams are now the first team to benefit from that new rule.

With the Lions hiring Brad Holmes as their new GM, the Rams will receive two third-round compensatory picks – one in 2021 and another in 2022. It hurts to lose their director of college scouting, but the return of two third-round picks eases the pain, for sure.

And the Rams may not be done compiling picks from this new initiative. Ray Farmer is a personnel consultant with the Rams right now and is a candidate to be hired as the Jaguars’ new general manager.

If they lose Farmer, too, they would add another two third-round compensatory picks, just as they have with Holmes.

This new minority hiring initiative was a great idea for the league, as it rewards teams for developing both coaches and executives as they advance their careers. The Rams are the first team to benefit from it, but they certainly won’t be the last.

With a third-round compensatory pick coming in 2021, here’s an updated look at the Rams’ projected draft picks this year.

  • 1st round: Traded to Jacksonville for Jalen Ramsey
  • 2nd round: Rams’ pick
  • 3rd round: Rams’ pick + Holmes compensatory pick
  • 4th round: Traded to Jacksonville for Ramsey
  • 5th round: Traded to Cleveland for Austin Corbett
  • 6th round: Rams’ pick
  • 7th round: Rams’ pick

In addition to these picks, the Rams are also likely to receive compensatory picks for losing Dante Fowler Jr. and Cory Littleton. Fowler’s would come in the third round, with Littleton’s being valued at a fourth-rounder, according to Over The Cap.

So it’s possible the Rams will have five picks in the first four rounds this year, with another potentially coming if the Jaguars hire Farmer, as well.

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How Rams could gain two 3rd-round picks if they lose Brad Holmes to GM job

Losing Brad Holmes would hurt, but at least the Rams would add two third-round picks.

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With all the success the Rams have had in the last four years, it’s no surprise that their coaching staff and front office have been scoured by other teams in search of up-and-coming talents. Sean McVay has lost a number of assistant coaches with more potentially departing this offseason, and now Les Snead is on the verge of seeing one of his most important talent evaluators depart.

That departure could come with draft compensation, however.

The Rams’ director of college scouting, Brad Holmes, has interviewed twice each with the Detroit Lions and Atlanta Falcons for their general manager positions. Given the strong interest from both teams, it seems likely that Holmes will be leaving the Rams after 18 seasons, the last eight of which were in his current role.

Thanks to a new rule approved by the NFL in November, the Rams stand to earn two third-round compensatory picks if Holmes does land a GM job. It’s part of the league’s effort to reward teams for developing minority candidates, giving them a third-round compensatory pick in consecutive years if a coach or executive becomes the head coach or GM of another team.

For the Rams, who are already lacking a first- and fourth-round pick in 2021 due to the Jalen Ramsey trade, this would be very helpful in their roster-building efforts. They would get a third-rounder in 2021 and another third-rounder in 2022, so it’s not as if both would come this year.

But would two mid-round picks really replace the value that Holmes brings? He’s been the director of college scouting for the last eight years and helped identify players such as Aaron Donald, Todd Gurley, Rob Havenstein and John Johnson. Jordan Fuller was another quality pick under Holmes, showing his propensity for identifying Day 3 talents.

Replacing Holmes wouldn’t be easy, but receiving two draft picks in return would at least help the Rams slightly.

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2021 NFL mock draft: Rams pick up offensive tackle in 2nd round

Christian Darrisaw is rising up draft boards and would be a great selection by the Rams in April.

We’re a long way from the 2021 NFL draft, but it’s never too early to start examining some prospects who might fit well with the Los Angeles Rams next spring. It’s always draft season over at Draft Wire, and on Thursday, Luke Easterling released his latest two-round mock.

The Rams don’t have a first-rounder after acquiring Jalen Ramsey last year, but they do have a second-rounder. With potential needs on the offensive line, at inside linebacker and edge rusher, the Rams can go a number of different directions when they do wind up on the clock.

Easterling projected Virginia Tech offensive tackle Christian Darrisaw to the Rams at No. 52 overall in the second round, giving Los Angeles some offensive line depth – and a potential future replacement for the aging Andrew Whitworth.

Darrisaw has been a key contributor since his freshman year, so experience isn’t a question with him. He’s athletic at the tackle position, which allows him to get out wide against faster edge rushers.

He’s not a refined and polished product, of course, but he has the tools to be a future starter in the NFL. It helps that he’s been playing at a high level this season, improving his stock further leading up to the draft.

It’s possible Darrisaw won’t even be around in the second round come April.