When the 2019 NFL season got underway, it looked like the Los Angeles Rams were going to avoid Super Bowl hangover. They had lost to the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LIII, as Bill Belichick found a way to shut down one of the most prolific offenses in the league, but the Rams came out with an impressive 4-0 start that included an 18-point shellacking of the New Orleans Saints. However, they went on to drop four of the next five and spent the rest of the season alternating such impressive performances as a 27-point win in Atlanta with a 23-point loss at Dallas. The Rams finished the season with a 9-7 record and missed out on the postseason. In the offseason, they have released tailback Todd Gurley II (who was promptly snatched up by the Atlanta Falcons) and have seen Brandin Cooks head out of town via trade. What did the draft do for them? Their NFL betting odds of winning Super Bowl LV have settled at 28/1 in the aftermath of the draft and the initial rounds of free agency. Let’s break down their selections.
NFL Betting: Los Angeles Rams 2020 Super Bowl Odds & Analysis After the Draft
Can Cam Akers replace Todd Gurley?
The Rams didn’t have a first-round pick this year, thanks to the trade for Jalen Ramsey, so they had to wait until the 52nd slot to make a choice. There, they chose Cam Akers, a tailback from Florida State. The Rams already had Malcolm Brown and Darrell Henderson, so the good news is that Akers doesn’t have to be Gurley. All he has to do is complete the running back committee. He can run between the tackles, so he will be more of a downhill runner while Henderson likes to carry it outside. He had 1,144 yards on 231 attempts with the Seminoles in his junior season, scoring 14 touchdowns.
Van Jefferson fills the gap that Brandin Cooks left behind
The Rams had traded Cooks to Houston earlier in the off-season, but they still had Cooper Kupp, Robert Woods and Josh Reynolds. Even so, they added Van Jefferson from Florida. He actually played five college seasons, three at Ole Miss and then two with the Gators. He gets high marks for his route running; last year, he caught 49 balls for 657 yards, scoring six touchdowns.
Terrell Lewis helps to bolster the Rams’ pass rush
Dante Fowler Jr left the team in free agency, and Clay Matthews was let go (and has filed a grievance against the team), so there was room to add a pass rusher. Lewis played outside linebacker at Alabama and joins Leonard Floyd, Ogbo Okoronkwo and Samson Ebukam at that position group. Lewis was an elite linebacker for the Crimson Tide, but he missed nearly two full years because of a collection of injuries. That’s why he slid to the third round, because questions about durability are not what you want with a linebacker.
Terrell Burgess helps ease the pain of Eric Weddle’s retirement
Burgess could play as a nickel corner in the NFL; at Utah, he played both cornerback and safety. The Rams already have Taylor Rapp and John Johnson penciled in as the starting safeties, so he could rotate in there, or he could take Nickell Robey-Coleman’s spot in the cornerback rotation, joining a crew that has Jalen Ramsey now. In his senior year at Utah, Burgess had one pick and five pass deflections.
Bryce Hopkins may have been a “board” pick rather than a true need
The Rams already had three solid tight ends in Tyler Higbee, Gerald Everett and Johnny Mundt. However, Hopkins averaged 75.5 receiving yards per game in 2019 for Purdue, second best among tight ends at FBS schools.
