Truly impactful draft class

[Kupped]

There is just no Rams draft class in the last 30 years that has been as impactful out the gate as this one. That's as far back as I looked.

Puka leads the entire fridge league in receptions and is #2 in yardage.

Avila is a plug and play stud at guard.

Byron Young is making plays every game and seems to learn by the moment.

Kobie Turner is a legit D lineman.

Ethan Evans is majestic.

These are guys making IMPACTS in their first two games!! Not just showing up.

And we still have high expectations for Several others... and so many of them are on the roster.

This is ABSOLUTELY the kind of draft that resets a team. All without a first rounder.

 

[kurtfaulk]

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What puka is doing is amazing. Didn't even think he was gonna contribute this season. He's always in the right spot and knows what to do with the ball once he makes the catch. Great instincts.

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[IBruce80]

There are a lot of guys playing above expectations.
Just brilliant to see.
Puka was a name floating around by a lot of fans and I can see why - The kid's dynamite.

 

[oldnotdead]

I'm happy but not overly surprised at Puka's emergence. He's simply doing it a whole lot sooner than I expected. Puka has said he's modeled his play on Kupp and since he got to LA he's been mentored by Kupp. You can see it by the way he runs his routes. He understands how to read defenders and how to set them up to make his breaks.

When Kupp retires the Rams will already have his replacement. There is no question that his emergence coupled with Atwell's has made Jefferson expendable next year. It's why I also think Robinson will be signed for another year. He would be looked at by the Rams as a less expensive version of Jefferson.

 

[fanotodd]

The one thing I kept saying this off-season was, “the Rams need to draft a star.” I didn’t care what position he played, I just felt the Rams needed a foundational piece to start building around.

So far it looks like they have at least 2. Nacua is the heir apparent to Kupp and has already put the league on notice. Avila is the OL who comes in and instantly makes the OL better. He impressed me more in week 2 than he did in the opener. He’s legit and will be the anchor the Rams build around.
…but wait, there’s more!

Turner and Young are also showing promise.
Our new punter with the bionic leg (Evans) reminds me of Nolan Ryan—he needs to work on his control because he has the weapon. Once Evans get some control, he’s gonna be a game changer. He’s already made covering kickoffs the easiest gig on the Rams.

 

[CGI_Ram]

There is a lot to like in our rookies.

The Rams have had to replace a lot of talent the past 2 seasons, and this is how you do it.

 

[Ramstien]

I just can't wait till Kupp and Nacua are out there at the same time. Stafford is going to put up some big numbers.

 

[Loyal]

I have to apologize to Les Snead. Before this draft class, I had the feeling that Brad Holms was the power behind the throne as far as finding talent. Congrats Les, you da man!

 

[Psycho_X]

Puka is only on pace for 212 catches, 2,261 yards this season. Idk what everyone's excited about. Seriously though, just been ridiculous. I hope Kupp gets back to 100 because the world deserves to see the two of them cook together.

But you're right this is definitely one of the best drafts out of the gate at least. Avila might already be our best olineman. And Young will probably take a year or two to really cap his ceiling skill level but you can already see the potential there and it is very high. Turner looks promising and Evans might have a better leg than Hekker as a rookie.

And there's quite a few more who probably won't play much this season, if at all, who could really surprise us in the future.

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

Whatever Snead did differently for this draft, it has to become his every year strategy. I’m not a big believer in luck when it comes to making decisions. In the past there seemed to be too many stabs in the dark attempting to hit gold. Snead has always overemphasized athleticism. This time he focused on Intelligence, character, desire and has come away with some gems. It definitely wasn’t one of his throw away drafts where he was just looking for depth and special teamers.

Another player that I have high hopes for is Davis Allen. Mathis looked good in camp according to Demarco. We all know Tomlinson has potential. Another draft like this and this team will be set for several years.



I don’t care how good the roster is. Every year they should be drafting for competition and not just need. The Niners do this and it’s how they keep the roster stacked. A good example is the linebacker, Isaiah Oliver, who made a few plays that turned that game against the Rams in their favor. The Niners are already stacked at linebacker but they still identified a player that can compete and start. Hopefully Snead’s taking notes.

 

[thirteen28]

There are a lot of guys playing above expectations.
Just brilliant to see.
Puka was a name floating around by a lot of fans and I can see why - The kid's dynamite.

Like I said last week, the stat that amazed me most about Puka was not the number of catches or yards, but the number of targets. Yesterday he had 20 targets. 20. That means that 1) he is almost always exactly where he is supposed to be, and 2) Stafford inherently trusts him.

 

[LARAMSinFeb.]

Byron Young seemed like he grew leaps and bounds between the Seahawks and Niners games. Hope he keeps that trajectory.

 

[Flint]

How many times this offseason did we hear that the rams just don’t have the talent anymore, and then to see them go toe to toe with 2 of the better teams in the nfc is amazing. It does say a lot about McVay though that he’s had this kind of start with so many new players.
After what they did to the steelers many were expecting a niner bloodbath but the rams were leading in the first half, then their inexperience got the best of them.

 

[WestCoastRam]

Whatever Snead did differently for this draft, it has to become his every year strategy. I’m not a big believer in luck when it comes to making decisions. In the past there seemed to be too many stabs in the dark attempting to hit gold. Snead has always overemphasized athleticism. This time he focused on Intelligence, character, desire and has come away with some gems. It definitely wasn’t one of his throw away drafts where he was just looking for depth and special teamers.

I think there's a ton of public data that says luck has a huge amount to do with decisions turning out right. I'm sure they tweaked their draft strategy from year to year but I doubt they did much different. Trust your process cause it's the only thing you can control... and pray for luck.

 

[Flatlyner]

This is why I'm so very hopeful that we don't go and trade our top picks away for a vet that we will have to pay dearly for. Its clear our front office can draft well, lets get some high end cheap rookies on the team next year and really compete for a SB.

 

[Kupped]

I think there's a ton of public data that says luck has a huge amount to do with decisions turning out right. I'm sure they tweaked their draft strategy from year to year but I doubt they did much different. Trust your process cause it's the only thing you can control... and pray for luck.

I think this is the right take.

Jefferson projected as a solid WR, nothing spectacular, but solid. He has, if anything, regressed. He's just not a baller.
And with Akers, wtf.. I don't know what's going on there. But he's shown he can produce, so there wasn't a mis-evaluation on talent.

Some bad luck with those two.

Terrell Lewis was a gamble and Burgess never got untracked after the injury.

I think their overall process is okay.. and, like you said.. luck matters.

That's why getting sooooooooooo many picks was an interesting approach. The thing with this year is it looks like they're getting luck AND had a high volume. Wild.

 

[Psycho_X]

https://x.com/bgrisakTST/status/1703808019899761046?s=20

Screw it, since the links keep popping as x.com I'll just start copy pasting the damn tweet so they don't get clicks.

 

[Kupped]

https://x.com/bgrisakTST/status/1703808019899761046?s=20

Screw it, since the links keep popping as x.com I'll just start copy pasting the damn tweet so they don't get clicks.
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My comp for Young coming in was a year 2 or three version of Samson Ebukam. I think he's exceeding that already. More fluid than Samson and more instinctive.

The bonus part with Young is that he seems to be a complete dog. A fierce competitor and seems to learn by the play. Feels like a 3rd round home run at the moment. I still think he's more of a complimentary 2nd edge rusher and you need a real star opposite him, but he's really doing even better than I hoped.

 

[WestCoastRam]

https://x.com/bgrisakTST/status/1703808019899761046?s=20

Screw it, since the links keep popping as x.com I'll just start copy pasting the damn tweet so they don't get clicks.
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Are you doing it from the phone, I typically post from comp. God, Elon is such a butt.

 

[Psycho_X]

The bonus part with Young is that he seems to be a complete dog. A fierce competitor and seems to learn by the play. Feels like a 3rd round home run at the moment. I still think he's more of a complimentary 2nd edge rusher and you need a real star opposite him, but he's really doing even better than I hoped.

I think he's got a ceiling to be a stud pass rusher physically. Will depend on his instincts and how smart he uses them whether he hits that ceiling. His grit and determination will take him a long way though. Either way we've got one side of our outside rush figured out for the next 4 years at least.