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Rams don't draw rave reviews from draft experts
May 2, 2017
The highest-graded team in the draft by Mel Kiper Jr.: The Los Angeles Chargers.
The lowest-graded team in the draft by Mel Kiper Jr.: The Los Angeles Rams.
The Chargers, who took receiver Mike Williams and guard Forrest Lamp with their first two picks, got an "A," tied with a Patriots team that did not have a first- or second-round pick. The Rams, who had tight end Gerald Everett, among others, rated higher than most draft boards, were the only team to wear a "C-".
Time will be the ultimate decider, but history is not on their side.
The Washington Post recently took a very interesting route towards analyzing the success of teams' drafts, utilizing Pro Football Reference's all-encompassing stat Approximate Value. The Post took the cumulative Approximate Value for the first five years of each player drafted from 1996 to 2016 and compared it to the expected Approximate Value for each draft slot, making it easy to compare teams based on the difference ("AV Gap").
Mel Kiper Jr., ESPN: C-
It would be a lot easier to stamp this draft grade "INCOMPLETE" and move on, because so much of it is wrapped up in Jared Goff. He is the reason they didn't have a first-round pick in 2017, and I certainly don't think it's fair to close the book on him. He had no chance last year with a lack of blocking (run or pass) and stone-handed pass-catching. If Sean McVay can unlock Goff's talent, then last year's grade and this year's grade look a lot better. In the meantime ... Aside from the Goff issue, I just consistently saw the Rams' selections as a little bit rich. I like the plan -- go get pass-catchers for Goff -- but the value just suffered a little. I had Everett at No. 111 on my board, and he went at 44. I really like Cooper Kupp but would have gone with Chris Godwin or Josh Malone before him. Josh Reynolds can make great plays on the ball even while covered, but it was another case in which the Rams had him a bit higher than I did. John Johnson has some solid tape, but he didn't test well, and size is a question mark. I had him down as a likelier Day 3 pick.
Chris Burke, Sports Illustrated: C
This was kind of a bizarre draft for the Rams, who didn't have a Round 1 pick because of their trade to take Jared Goff last year. After sitting out Thursday's proceedings, GM Les Snead then spent three of his first four picks on pass catchers -- TE Gerald Everett (a reach at 44), WR Cooper Kupp (No. 59) and WR Josh Reynolds (No. 119). Reynolds may be the best of the bunch, and he very well could wind up the No. 1 receiver before long on what's now a muddled receiver depth chart. Versatile safety John Johnson (No. 91) and DT Tanzel Smart (No. 189) should see time early in Wade Phillips' defense. OLB Samson Ebukam (No. 125) also could, as a pass rusher. But the Rams really overloaded at the skill positions, which is an unusual choice for a rebuilding team.
Rob Rang, CBS: C+
With 2016 No. 1 overall pick Jared Goff struggling as a rookie, it was obvious that the Rams needed to find him more dynamic weapons. Unfortunately for Los Angeles, after the massive trade up last year to land the former Cal product the team was missing its first round pick to do so -- a problem exacerbated with a surprising early run on pass-catchers. The Rams responded by using three of their first four picks on weapons for Goff, landing joker tight end Gerald Everett with their first pick (No. 44 overall), Eastern Washington's Cooper Kupp with their second (69) and Texas A&M's vertical threat Josh Reynolds (117) with their fourth selection. Despite his small school background, Kupp (whose father and grandfather both played in the NFL) is far and away the most polished of the group, standing out against Pac-12 and Senior Bowl competition.
Chad Reuter, NFL: B-
Tight end was a need position for the Rams, and Gerald Everett's ability to get off the line smoothly is quite impressive. They might consider him a receiver. It might have been a tick early for him, however -- not unlike when they chose Lance Kendricks a bit early in 2011. Cooper Kupp's feet are as quick as any in the draft, even if his 40 time wasn't great. Third-round safety John Johnson is liked by scouts for his ability to handle multiple roles in the secondary. The Rams couldn't help but build up their offense with a solid receiver in Josh Reynolds, and got a potential pass-rush specialist in Samson Ebukam -- two solid picks. Getting fullback Sam Rogers in the sixth will help Todd Gurley and the special teams units. The Rams needed to find a cornerback (or two), but couldn't meet all their needs in eight picks. Jared Goff will be given the opportunity to excel with this talent around him.
Doug Farrar, Bleacher Report: B-
Taking Everett with the 44th overall pick seems like a reach, especially since the Rams had no first-round pick. The Kupp pick seems more in line, and he'll help Jared Goff immediately. The real steal in this receiver haul might be Reynolds, a thin target who needs to bulk up and fill out his route tree. However, he has the acceleration to take cornerbacks and safeties all the way downfield. Smart and Price are interesting undersized hybrid players for Wade Phillips.
May 2, 2017
- Alden GonzalezESPN Staff Writer
The highest-graded team in the draft by Mel Kiper Jr.: The Los Angeles Chargers.
The lowest-graded team in the draft by Mel Kiper Jr.: The Los Angeles Rams.
The Chargers, who took receiver Mike Williams and guard Forrest Lamp with their first two picks, got an "A," tied with a Patriots team that did not have a first- or second-round pick. The Rams, who had tight end Gerald Everett, among others, rated higher than most draft boards, were the only team to wear a "C-".
Time will be the ultimate decider, but history is not on their side.
The Washington Post recently took a very interesting route towards analyzing the success of teams' drafts, utilizing Pro Football Reference's all-encompassing stat Approximate Value. The Post took the cumulative Approximate Value for the first five years of each player drafted from 1996 to 2016 and compared it to the expected Approximate Value for each draft slot, making it easy to compare teams based on the difference ("AV Gap").
Mel Kiper Jr., ESPN: C-
It would be a lot easier to stamp this draft grade "INCOMPLETE" and move on, because so much of it is wrapped up in Jared Goff. He is the reason they didn't have a first-round pick in 2017, and I certainly don't think it's fair to close the book on him. He had no chance last year with a lack of blocking (run or pass) and stone-handed pass-catching. If Sean McVay can unlock Goff's talent, then last year's grade and this year's grade look a lot better. In the meantime ... Aside from the Goff issue, I just consistently saw the Rams' selections as a little bit rich. I like the plan -- go get pass-catchers for Goff -- but the value just suffered a little. I had Everett at No. 111 on my board, and he went at 44. I really like Cooper Kupp but would have gone with Chris Godwin or Josh Malone before him. Josh Reynolds can make great plays on the ball even while covered, but it was another case in which the Rams had him a bit higher than I did. John Johnson has some solid tape, but he didn't test well, and size is a question mark. I had him down as a likelier Day 3 pick.
Chris Burke, Sports Illustrated: C
This was kind of a bizarre draft for the Rams, who didn't have a Round 1 pick because of their trade to take Jared Goff last year. After sitting out Thursday's proceedings, GM Les Snead then spent three of his first four picks on pass catchers -- TE Gerald Everett (a reach at 44), WR Cooper Kupp (No. 59) and WR Josh Reynolds (No. 119). Reynolds may be the best of the bunch, and he very well could wind up the No. 1 receiver before long on what's now a muddled receiver depth chart. Versatile safety John Johnson (No. 91) and DT Tanzel Smart (No. 189) should see time early in Wade Phillips' defense. OLB Samson Ebukam (No. 125) also could, as a pass rusher. But the Rams really overloaded at the skill positions, which is an unusual choice for a rebuilding team.
Rob Rang, CBS: C+
With 2016 No. 1 overall pick Jared Goff struggling as a rookie, it was obvious that the Rams needed to find him more dynamic weapons. Unfortunately for Los Angeles, after the massive trade up last year to land the former Cal product the team was missing its first round pick to do so -- a problem exacerbated with a surprising early run on pass-catchers. The Rams responded by using three of their first four picks on weapons for Goff, landing joker tight end Gerald Everett with their first pick (No. 44 overall), Eastern Washington's Cooper Kupp with their second (69) and Texas A&M's vertical threat Josh Reynolds (117) with their fourth selection. Despite his small school background, Kupp (whose father and grandfather both played in the NFL) is far and away the most polished of the group, standing out against Pac-12 and Senior Bowl competition.
Chad Reuter, NFL: B-
Tight end was a need position for the Rams, and Gerald Everett's ability to get off the line smoothly is quite impressive. They might consider him a receiver. It might have been a tick early for him, however -- not unlike when they chose Lance Kendricks a bit early in 2011. Cooper Kupp's feet are as quick as any in the draft, even if his 40 time wasn't great. Third-round safety John Johnson is liked by scouts for his ability to handle multiple roles in the secondary. The Rams couldn't help but build up their offense with a solid receiver in Josh Reynolds, and got a potential pass-rush specialist in Samson Ebukam -- two solid picks. Getting fullback Sam Rogers in the sixth will help Todd Gurley and the special teams units. The Rams needed to find a cornerback (or two), but couldn't meet all their needs in eight picks. Jared Goff will be given the opportunity to excel with this talent around him.
Doug Farrar, Bleacher Report: B-
Taking Everett with the 44th overall pick seems like a reach, especially since the Rams had no first-round pick. The Kupp pick seems more in line, and he'll help Jared Goff immediately. The real steal in this receiver haul might be Reynolds, a thin target who needs to bulk up and fill out his route tree. However, he has the acceleration to take cornerbacks and safeties all the way downfield. Smart and Price are interesting undersized hybrid players for Wade Phillips.
