When it comes to the Los Angeles Rams selecting their top rookie target, one NFC West Division nemesis seems to know who the Rams want and grabs him first. It's a double whammy to the Rams' draft strategy from the rival's perspective. Not only do the Seattle Seahawks act to strengthen their roster, but in the process, they snatch a top rookie target away from the Rams' hands. Of course, it's only effective if the results show up on the football field.
In the 2021 NFL Draft, the Rams were poised to select wide receiver D'Wayne Eskridge out of Western Michigan. But the Seattle Seahawks selected him with the 56th overall pick in that year. The Rams ultimately selected Louisville wide receiver Tutu Atwell.
Curiously, Dee Eskridge has hauled in 20 of 37 passes over four NFL seasons for 166 yards and one touchdown. Tutu Atwell has hauled in 99 of 164 passes for 1,343 yards and four touchdowns. The evidence is clearly in Atwell's favor in terms of making a more significant offensive impact in the NFL.
In the 2024 NFL Draft, the Rams were not solely focused on trading up to select Georgia TE Brock Bowers. When that fell through, the team continued efforts to trade up and select Texas defensive tackle Byron Murphy II. Instead, the Seattle Seahawks selected Murphy with the 16th overall pick. The Rams, unable to trade up to get Murphy, stood pat and selected Florida State outside linebacker Jared Verse with the 19th overall pick.
The Rams were able to select Florida State defensive tackle Braden Fiske with the 39th overall pick. That was the next stop at defensive tackle missed when the Rams failed to select Byron Murphy. So, how do the Rams players stack up to the Seahawks' Murphy? Let's take a look:
- Byron Murphy II | 38 tackles | 2 TFLs | 1 QB hits | 0.5 QB sacks
- Jared Verse | 66 tackles | 11 TFLs | 18 QB hits | 4.5 QB sacks | DROY
- Braden Fiske | 44 tackles | 10 TFLs | 10 QB hits | 8.5 QB sacks | DROY-3
Once again, the population size is limited to one NFL season. But the evidence is decidedly in favor of the Rams' rookies Jared Verse and Braden Fiske. Not only are the Rams getting significantly better on-field production, but the fact that Murphy was selected earlier in the draft means that he is earning significantly more for less production.
Can the Seahawks save the Rams from themselves in 2025?
The Los Angeles Rams are in the market for a rookie quarterback, and the latest breadcrumbs suggest that the team could be in the hunt for Alabama rookie quarterback prospect Jalen Milroe. After all, the Rams have met with multiple rookie quarterbacks this offseason leading up to the draft, but only met multiple times with Milroe.
While that would lead some to conclude that Jalen Milroe is one of the Rams' top targets in Round 1 of the 2025 NFL Draft, that will only come to fruition if Jalen Milroe makes it past the Seattle Seahawks at the 18th overall pick. And not surprisingly, the Seahawks are also meeting with Jalen Milroe just before the 2025 NFL Draft arrives.
Will the Seattle Seahawks save the Rams from themselves once more? That is, will the Seahawks, to frustrate the Rams' front office draft strategy, claim QB Jalen Milroe before the Rams step up to the podium, forcing the Rams to pivot to other rookies? It's been the heart of their draft strategy in the past, so there is no reason to expect any change this year.
While many fans scoff at the idea that NFL teams view Milroe as a viable NFL quarterback, more and more draft analysts are jumping on the Jalen Milroe bandwagon:
I'm not a fan of the Rams selecting a quarterback in Round 1 of the 2025 NFL Draft, but with Matthew Stafford on one-year contracts from now on, I can see the reasoning for doing so. The challenge comes in ensuring that the Rams truly have a plan to integrate any Round 1 rookie into the offense sooner rather than later. The team tends to fixate on veterans, and the lack of opportunities for rookies trying to earn their share of the offensive snaps is over before it ever starts.
The Rams limited WR Tutu Atwell, RB Blake Corum, and even WR Jordan Whittington in their rookie seasons. The urge to shelf a rookie quarterback will be greater still.
The Seahawks do not appear to be a team in the rookie QB market. After all, the team got much younger by swapping out QB Geno Smith for Sam Darnold. And the Seahawks have QBs Sam Howell, Drew Lock, and Jaren Hall on the roster as well. So their interest in Milroe seems a bit, er, misplaced.
Of course, both the Rams and Seahawks are merely meeting with Jalen Milroe, and neither team is obligated to call out his name in Round 1 of the 2025 NFL Draft. But where there's smoke, there's fire. Round 1 of the 2025 NFL Draft is far too chaotic to rule out any scenario just yet. So if the Seattle Seahawks select Alabama QB Jalen Milroe just to spite the Los Angeles Rams' draft plans, so be it.
It's worked out incredibly well for the Rams in the past. And as always, thanks for reading.
