Tag: rams scout

Rams college scouting director Brad Holmes interviewing for two GM jobs

The Rams could be in danger of losing a key front office member.

The Rams have built a great team in the last four years under general manager Les Snead and coach Sean McVay, so it’s only natural that other franchises would be interested in those working in L.A.

According to multiple reports, Rams college scouting director Brad Holmes is a hot candidate for general manager vacancies and already has a couple of teams lining up to interview him. Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reported Monday that the Falcons requested to interview Holmes for their GM vacancy after they fired Thomas Dimitroff this year.

Albert Breer of The MMQB also reported that the Lions will interview Holmes for their GM position following the firing of Bob Quinn.

Holmes has been with the Rams for eight seasons, holding the position of director of college scouting. He’s helped build the Rams into the team they are today, working in L.A. when Aaron Donald, Jared Goff, Todd Gurley, Michael Brockers and John Johnson were selected.

Holmes is a huge part of the Rams front office and roster-building, which makes it unsurprising that he’d become a GM candidate, especially considering he’s only 41 years old.

Watch: Rams scouts describe what makes Van Jefferson special

Van Jefferson is a player Rams scouts loved, and for good reason. He runs “vicious routes” and can leave the best DBs behind.

When Van Jefferson’s name was called by commissioner Roger Goodell at pick No. 57 in the 2020 draft, a lot of Rams fans were surprised. Not because the team didn’t need a wide receiver, but because Denzel Mims – whom the Rams were reportedly very interested in – was still on the board.

Yet, Los Angeles went with Jefferson, who’s an older and more refined receiver at this point in his career. He won’t blow anyone away with his speed and he doesn’t possess the leaping ability of Henry Ruggs or Jalen Reagor, but Jefferson is pro-ready and a savvy route runner.

Les Snead even compared him to a combination of Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods, to give a sense of the type of player Jefferson is. Leading up to the draft, the Rams’ interest in the Florida wideout wasn’t widely known. Even Jefferson didn’t expect the Rams to be the team to take him, having spoken with them for the last time at the combine.

Yet, scouts inside the building loved what Jefferson brought and the front office made him the pick at No. 57 overall.

“I like him. I really, really like him. One of the most savvy receivers I’ve graded,” scout Michael Pierce said. “Elite ball skills, elite hands. His ability to work defenders and work his release to get defenders turned is special. You can tell that he’s a coach’s son. His feel for the game is just different than everybody else. He’s special when it comes to savvy and the intangibles of it.”

“For Van Jefferson, the vicious routes stand out. He can leave even the best defensive backs in college football grasping for cloth,” James Gladstone, director of scouting strategy said.

Jefferson is the son of Shawn Jefferson, who played wide receiver for more than a decade in the NFL. He’s also the wide receivers coach for the Jets and has coached wideouts for more than 10 years, too.

That has certainly helped Van Jefferson in his development, and it shows with his route-running and releases off the line. It’s easy to see why Rams scouts loved his game and likely pulled for Snead to make him the pick in Round 2.