It wasn’t so long ago that the Rams, resolute in their decision not to give Ernest Jones IV a contract extension at his desired price tag, traded the linebacker and captain to the Tennessee Titans for a late-round pick swap the week before the 2024 season opened.
Jones went on to produce well in the run game for the Titans, just as he had done for the Rams, before being traded to the Seattle Seahawks for a fourth-round pick. Jones made an immediate impact on the Rams’ divisional rivals, and went on to sign a three-year, $28.5 million contract with Seattle this offseason.
It wasn’t that the Rams had something personal against Jones. As the team’s linebackers struggled to start the season in Jones’ absence, head coach Sean McVay would even go on to say about the trade, “I think all the decisions that we make in the moment we feel like are in the best interest. I’m not going to pretend and act like every decision is accurate.”
It’s just that, in recent years, the Rams have devalued certain positions, particularly on the defensive side of the ball. High-end assets, whether it be draft picks or guaranteed money, have not been used to add linebackers or cornerbacks to the roster. The idea has been it’s better to add value around the margins at those spots, while focusing resources on premium positions, particularly ones that fuel McVay’s offense.
But as the Rams look to use this week’s NFL draft to build upon a roster that has made the playoffs two years in a row, is this the year it makes sense for them to reinforce linebacker and corner with premium picks?
This offseason, the Rams were relatively quiet at both positions. They brought back corner Ahkello Witherspoon and linebacker Troy Reeder and added linebacker Nate Landman as a free agent. Witherspoon will be the highest-paid of that trio in 2025 with a salary of $1.255 million, per Spotrac.
Both position groups have players the Rams like, but have not invested heavily in. Undrafted linebacker Omar Speights improved as a rookie season progressed. Former Commanders first-round corner Emmanuel Forbes will try to break through after the Rams claimed off waivers late last year.
But as the Rams approach the No. 26 pick in Thursday’s first round, they will be faced with a conundrum.
Do you take the players with the greatest positional value, like quarterback or offensive line, even if their road to the field in 2025 would require an injury to a starter? Or do you compromise and look at corners or linebackers to bolster the defense and make a push to compete in the NFC?
Granted, there aren’t a ton of options at linebacker that would bear consideration at No. 26. Alabama’s Jihaad Campbell is really the only linebacker with a first-round grade. It’s possible that concerns about his March surgery to repair a torn labrum push him down the board, but he’s projected to be picked before the Rams are on the clock.
Corner, on the other hand, could present the Rams with some interesting options. Michigan’s Will Johnson has the physicals and smarts to be a Day 1 starter in the NFL. Texas’ Jahdae Barron brings a lot of versatility to the position, something the Rams prize in defensive backs. Kentucky’s Maxwell Hairston has the speed to keep up with the blazing receivers taking over the NFL.
But the earliest the Rams have taken a corner in the last five drafts was the fourth round (Cobie Durant in 2022 and Robert Rochell in 2021). To suddenly look at one in the first would be a huge departure from the team’s M.O.
Is 2025 the year to break the trend? We’ll find out soon.
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