HERMOSA BEACH — It was a little over a year ago, as the Rams outlined their plan to reset their roster with a youth movement, that Aaron Donald gave the front office a simple request for the draft class: “Make sure they care.”
From Puka Nacua running back onto the field following what looked like a debilitating shoulder injury, to Steve Avila playing every snap of the season, to Kobie Turner’s dejected face following a playoff loss, the Rams succeeded in that regard.
And after the Rams conducted their first draft following Donald’s retirement, they believe their 10 picks this weekend fit a similar mold that will blend into their locker room culture.
“There’s a consistent makeup,” head coach Sean McVay said Saturday following the draft’s seventh and final round. “There was a resume and a body of work that all 10 of these players that there was a consensus, there was a consistent, really unanimous good vibes.”
For McVay and general manager Les Snead and the army of scouts and analysts and coaches whose inputs shaped this weekend’s decisions, the tape comes first. You can be a cultural fit, but if you aren’t ready to play in the NFL, it doesn’t matter.
But as they did their research on the players who ultimately became Rams, a pattern started to emerge.
The Rams used their first two picks on pass rushers Jared Verse and Braden Fiske, members of a Florida State defense that Snead praised for putting the team on its shoulders following a quarterback injury to complete a run to the ACC title. Then there’s third-round pick Blake Corum, the running back who returned to Michigan for his senior season and a chance to compete for a national championship.
Saturday’s first selection, Washington State outside linebacker Brennan Jackson, kept his draft party in his hometown of Temecula small because he didn’t feel like being selected meant he had “made it,” and he planned to be back in the gym on Sunday morning.
“The one thing you can control on the field is your energy and effort,” Jackson preached. “So playing this game of football is never going to let that be a factor that goes against me.”
Sixth-round selection and Clemson defensive tackle Tyler Davis said Donald was one of his favorite players growing up. And what did he admire about the future Hall of Famer?
“Just his work, the work he put in,” Davis said.
Snead got a little extra insight into another sixth-round pick, Texas wide receiver Jordan Whittington. Snead’s stepson is a member of the Texas program, and in his time around Austin, Snead consistently heard that, despite all the talent around the Longhorns, Whittington was the straw that stirred the drink.
“The neat thing is from the moment you walk in that building … everyone said, ‘You know what, Jordan’s our heartbeat,’ ” Snead recounted. “He knew all three positions, was willing to be the third, the fourth, play all the core on special teams. It’s one of those key, core guys that you draft with a vision and more than likely has a role here.”
Related Articles
NFL draft: Rams shore up kicking game in 6th round
NFL draft: Rams take Washington State OLB Brennan Jackson in 5th round
Rams in dialogue with QB Matthew Stafford about contract concerns
Rams bet on Jared Verse-Braden Fiske chemistry on defensive front
NFL draft: Rams take Miami safety Kamren Kinchens in 3rd round
As stared down at a piece of paper with the 10 names on, McVay shook his head, marveling at the mental toughness of the new Rams. It’s something he’s come to value more and more after his own struggles following difficult seasons.
And it’s something he feels the Rams have gotten better at identifying across the eight drafts that he’s worked alongside Snead and the front office.
“Being able to honestly assess and reflect on, ok, man, there’s been a lot of really good things that have gone on and then some of the things that maybe didn’t work out the way that we wanted, what can we take away from it and how can we learn?” McVay said. “I give these guys a ton of credit about really being able to put a model together that gives us gradable ways of saying, alright, is this our kind of guy? What is their makeup? What are the things where the film guides you? And then what are the other things that you can try to at least say, how do we put a tangible way of measuring, this is what we want and this is what we’re looking for and these are the types of guys that fit in that mold?”