2016-Present

Grading the Draft: L.A. Rams make strong effort to improve offense

Photo Credit: Jon Durr/Getty Images

The 2016 NFL Draft has finally come and gone with many promising prospects finding out where their careers will begin. Although the Los Angeles Rams gave up a hefty package to move up to the first overall selection, the team still possessed several draft picks to address a few areas of need.

With that said, here is what the Rams did with their selections in this year’s draft:

Round 1 (First overall): QB Jared Goff, California – Grade A

There wasn’t much surprise with this pick given that multiple reports stated the Rams were leaning heavily toward taking Jared Goff with the top spot in the draft.

The 21-year-old is coming off a strong junior season that saw him set PAC-12 conference records with 4,719 passing yards and 43 touchdown passes, which earned him a First Team All-Pac-12 selection.

Goff possesses good size at 6-foot-4 and 215 lbs, a strong arm, great pocket mobility, and he has shown great command of the offense. There are also areas that he will need to improve on at the next level, such as his accuracy and decision-making along with gaining much-needed experience playing under center.

Nonetheless, Goff is an immediate upgrade at the position for Los Angeles and should be able to win the job outright at some point in the preseason. Yes, he will have his fair of struggles in his rookie campaign, but there will be a significant improvement in the Rams’ passing attack that ranked last in passing yards, yards per pass attempt, touchdown passes, passing yards per game and passer rating in 2015.

Round 4 (110th overall): TE Tyler Higbee, Western Kentucky – Grade B+

Los Angeles, with their first of two fourth-round picks, took a chance on Western Kentucky tight end Tyler Higbee, who is currently facing second-degree assault and evading police charges along with a public intoxication charge for an incident that occurred on April 10.

This may have been a potential red flag for many teams, but the Rams felt that his high ceiling of potential was worth a shot. Since converting over from wide receiver to tight end three years ago, he has excelled in the new role. Higbee capped off his college career with a productive 2015 season where he caught 38 passes for 563 receiving yards and eight touchdowns, despite missing six games due to a knee injury.

Higbee was arguably the most talented pass-catching tight end in this year’s draft due to his unique combination of athleticism and speed. His skillset helps him consistently gain separation in the open field from defenders that often leads to big plays after the catch. He also has soft hands that allow him to be a dependable option in the passing game.

There may be a need to improve his blocking skills, but Higbee could immediately step in and become a productive player in the Rams’ passing attack.

Round 4 (117th overall): WR Pharoh Cooper, South Carolina – Grade B+

The Rams continued the theme of adding more offensive weapons in the passing game for Goff in the fourth round with the selection of South Carolina wide receiver Pharoh Cooper.

Cooper put together a productive three-year collegiate career that saw him become a major contributor over his last two seasons. He hauled in at least 65 catches with 950 receiving yards and eight receiving touchdowns in each campaign.

The speedy wideout may lack the ideal height at the position, but he’s proven that he can excel playing in the slot by using his dynamic speed to his advantage in the open field on short-to-intermediate routes that often times leads to big plays. Cooper can also be an effective deep ball threat due to his ability to get past defenders in press coverage.

In truth, Los Angeles may have gotten a steal with Cooper still being available in the fourth round with many projecting him to be a third-round selection. He’s an all-around talent that can be utilized in a similar fashion to teammate Tavon Austin due to his ability to be a factor in the slot and out of the backfield.

Cooper has the skillset that could make him a high-impact player from the get-go and a major feature in the Rams’ rebooted offense.

Round 6 (177th overall): TE Temarrick Hemingway, South Carolina State – Grade C

Entering the draft, Los Angeles had a strong need to improve their tight end position and emphasized it by taking a second one when they took Carolina State’s Temarrick Hemingway in the sixth round.

Hemingway produced a decent career as a three-year starter with his most productive season coming in 2015 where he made 38 catches for 418 receiving yards and one touchdown. He’s still a bit raw in his route-running ability, but his size at 6-foot-5 and 244 lbs along with his fluidity and physicality after the catch make him an intriguing prospect.

Hemingway has the potential to be a matchup nightmare for opposing linebackers in the NFL, because his size and quickness allow him to gain separation on short-to-intermediate routes. However, there are questions surrounding his hands that could limit his role in the passing game.

Hemingway is clearly a project tight end, but if he’s able to progress in his route-running skills and improve his hands, he could become a viable receiving tight end in the NFL.

Round 6 (190th overall): MLB Josh Forrest, Kentucky – Grade C-

With the need to add depth to the middle linebacker position, the Rams selected Kentucky linebacker Josh Forrest in the sixth round.

Forrest was a highly productive player over his last two seasons as a starter, collecting 202 tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks and two interceptions over that span. The former wide receiver used his lateral quickness, athleticism and length to his advantage at his new position. He primarily excelled as a blitzing linebacker by using his quick feet to consistently get into the backfield.

However, he struggled at times with his tackling technique, which led to 22 broken tackles over his last two seasons. Forrest also had issues in pass coverage that were only heightened by his poor tackling in spaces.

Forrest could potentially fit into a similar role that Bates played with Rams as a special teams player and could spell Alec Ogletree on occasions.

Mike Thomas WR, Round 6 (206th overall) – Grade C+

The Rams took advantage of the opportunity to snag another pick late in the draft by trading down a few spots in the fourth round with the Chicago Bears. The team got a third sixth-round selection, which was used to take Southern Mississippi wideout Mike Thomas.

Thomas produced a breakout season in 2015, when he posted 71 receptions for 1,391 receiving yards and 14 receiving touchdowns. This includes at least one receiving touchdown in each of his last 10 games of his collegiate career.

Although Thomas struggles to gain consistent separation from defenders, he possesses good size at 6-foot-1 and 200 lbs, along with reliable hands that allow him to make difficult catches in traffic. He has also developed a reputation for being a hard worker with a strong competitive fire.

If the 21-year-old hopes to latch onto one of the last regular-season roster spots, Thomas will need to clearly demonstrate those traits that helped him excel in 2015.

Overall Judgement: Rams did solid job of addressing offensive needs – Grade B+

The front office’s decision to break the trend of primarily taking offensive linemen over the last couple of years could pay huge dividends on the offensive side of the ball.

Los Angeles may have finally put in place a quarterback that could be the long-term answer that the franchise has been looking for over the last several years. This, along with the team also adding a few weapons in the passing game, could help make the Rams a formidable offense beyond standout running back Todd Gurley.

The bottom line here is that the Rams needed to upgrade their offense and this incoming group of rookies could go be a major step in the right direction to helping the franchise get over the hump in the NFC West.

Source: NFL.com, ESPN.com

Bob Garcia IV is a sports journalist from Southern California. He is also the Los Angeles Lakers beat writer for Sportsoutwest.com and About.com. He was a reporter for the award-winning newspaper, The Daily Sundial, at California State University, Northridge. You can follow him on Twitter, @Bgarcia90.

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