NFL Draft: One Mistake Rams Can't Make
The Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams know they have their work cut out for them to successfully defend their title. The good news is, Aaron Donald says he is now 'addicted' to winning Super Bowls, and is 'hungry' to lead the Rams back to another one.
Feb 16, 2022; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Rams defensive end Aaron Donald holds the Vince Lombardi trophy during the Super Bowl LVI championship rally at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 16, 2022; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Rams defensive end Aaron Donald holds the Vince Lombardi trophy during Super Bowl LVI championship parade. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 30, 2022; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams defensive end Aaron Donald (99) celebrates in the fourth quarter during the NFC Championship Game against the San Francisco 49ers at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
The not-so good news is that LA likely won't get much help in the 2022 NFL Draft. The Rams are without a first- or second-round pick and have some significant holes to fill.
But the Rams have hit some home runs in terms of re-tooling themselves since the Super Bowl in February. They've signed free-agent linebacker Bobby Wagner and added him to existing talent like Matthew Stafford and Donald, and of course, coach Sean McVay is still calling the shots.
When it comes to the draft, maybe the most important move is for LA to avoid the strike out. The Draft Network created a list of a draft blunders each NFL team must avoid this season and for the Rams it is ...
NOT ADDRESSING THE OFF-BALL LINEBACKER POSITION
The Super Bowl Champions do not have a large amount of holes to fill on their roster. General Manager Les Snead is known for not valuing draft picks and rather, shipping them for established stars. But it’s has paid off. As a result, their first pick is 104 in the third round as a compensatory pick. Finding another playmaker on the second-level of the defense will only help this team overall.
Has the gap between LA and the tough NFC West Division opponents narrowed? The Rams are still favorites (+150) to win the NFC West in 2022, but what is left to address to put themselves in prime position to repeat as divisional champions?
With the departure of Sebastian Joseph-Day, the Rams could use some help on defense.
Should they look to add an edge rusher, some prospects who could still be available at pick 104 include DeAngelo Malone, Myjai Sanders, and Mika Tafua. Malone had a career-high 11.5 sacks in 2019, while Sanders' best came in 2020 when he racked up 10.5. Tafua is fresh off of his best season with a Pac-12 Conference leading 9.5 sacks.
© Pool Photo-USA TODAY Sports
© Kareem Elgazzar/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK
© Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports
Even with the third-hardest schedule in the NFL, there's no reason to think Los Angeles can't "run it back" in 2022. Especially if they avoid draft blunders.
