What we learned behind the scenes…
The Los Angeles Rams dropped episode 2 of Behind the Grind on Thursday night; giving fans a half hour “behind” the scenes look at what goes into the day to day operation. Episode 2 focused on the Rams draft and war room. There was a brief reminiscence of last year’s picks; highlighting the additions of Jared Verse and Braden Fiske.
But in large, LA’s production centered on this year’s three day process. Here’s what we learned…
The Rams are strategically marketing their brand in the state of California.
The organization has staged The NFL Draft in Malibu, The Valley, Hollywood Hills, and South Bay. This year’s draft headquarters was at the LAFD Air Operations Headquarters. The decision was made to honor the first responders from January’s wildfires that devastated families and businesses. Even though other organizations fans’ like to mock the lack of Rams fans that attend SoFi, the Rams brass is going about winning over fans and the area of Los Angeles the right way.
@secret.losangeles [ IN BIO] The Los Angeles Rams honored LAFD firefighters and community resilience through their NFL Draft in a historic first for the league. ➡️For more info on how to support their fire recovery initiatives, head to our link in bio. #football #losangelesrams #larams #rams #lafd #firedepartment #sports #nfl #nfldraft #draft #localnews #losangeles #vannuys #la #mysecretla
The draft strategy was in fact more tactical and positional-based rather than Best Player Available (BPA).
Les Snead was pretty straightforward; telling viewers:
“We’re at this point with the roster, a little bit different than the previous years. Here’s what we are doing at 26…to really come make a difference on this football team…you’re going to have to tilt towards a position.”
Ironically, the Rams opted to trade that pick at 26 in favor of a future 1st round pick from the Atlanta Falcons in 2026. The Rams then used their first three picks to select Terrance Ferguson, Josiah Stewart, and Jarquez Hunter. Sean McVay saw tactical usage for each with the football team. Ferguson’s selection fulfilled a vision that McVay sees with the Oregon tight end. McVay even made a “joke” to Tony Pastoors saying: “A little 12 personnel now!” The Josiah Stewart selection was a move by the Rams front office to double down on creating a violent defensive front. With the departure of Michael Hoecht, LA wanted to continue creating pressure on opposing offenses with tough and physical players up front. As for Jarquez Hunter, Sean McVay described him as his favorite Day 3 player on the board. Both Sean and Les outwardly expressed a desire to add an explosive back; signaling the lack of explosion from Kyren Williams and Blake Corum. With those three picks, the Rams were clear in addressing positions that could use upgrades. There were still “Best Player Available” talents like Will Johnson, Benjamin Morrison, Ozzy Trapilo, Shavon Revel, and Azareye’h Thomas on the board.
Episode 3 of the LA Rams Behind the Grind should drop in two weeks on June 5th!
