On Saturday morning, the Los Angeles Rams selected a couple of offensive weapons for quarterback Jared Goff, who was the 2016 NFL Draft's no. 1 pick. But first, the team shook up its fourth round selections by agreeing to a trade with the Chicago Bears.
Congrats @Ty_Higs19 and @KingTutt_chdown! #GoRams — Jared Goff (@JaredGoff16) April 30, 2016
The LA Rams traded their 113th overall pick to the Chicago Bears for the 117th overall pick and the 206th overall pick, the latter of which falls in the sixth round. Prior to the trade, LA's newest football team had already selected tight-end Tyler Higbee from the University of Western Kentucky. With the newly acquired 117th pick, the Rams picked up Pharoh Cooper, a wide receiver out of South Carolina. Cooper and Higbee join Goff and 2015 Offensive Rookie of the Year Todd Gurley as part of a young offensive core that is beginning to take shape.
NFL.com originally projected Cooper as a third round pick, so the 5-foot 11-inch wide-out appears to be a good value pick in the fourth round. The 21-year-old's draft profile listed his ability to accelerate off the line as one of the North Carolina native's strengths.
Higbee is a slightly more complex pick. The tight-end was arrested only weeks prior to the draft for a physical altercation that left a man unconscious and eventually hospitalized with a brain hemorrhage. The 6-foot 6-inch, 249-pound tight-end has big hands and is a former wide receiver. He only had one drop in his final collegiate season, according to his official NFL.com draft profile.
Thanks Mr. Kroenke, @CoachJeffFisher, @kdemoff, Mr. Snead & the entire @RamsNFL organization for this opportunity! Cant wait to get to work! — Tyler Higbee (@Ty_Higs19) April 30, 2016
If Higbee can stay out of trouble and stay healthy, as he had a knee injury in college, he can quickly become a major target for Goff. With Cooper in the frame, the Rams have seemingly put a young offensive core in place.
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After the trade with the Bears, the Rams have three picks remaining in the 2016 NFL Draft, and all three of those picks will arrive in the sixth round: no. 177; no. 190; and no. 206.
With the no. 177 pick, the Rams selected Temarrick Hemingway, a 6-foot 5-inch tight-end out of South Carolina State University. Clearly, providing no. 1 pick Goff with weapons at the skilled positions was a priority for the team. The Rams also selected Michael Thomas, who is a wide receiver out of Southern Mississippi, with their no. 206 pick.
Pick no. 190 Josh Forrest represented the only defensive player taken by LA's football team in the 2016 NFL Draft. Forrest is a linebacker out of the University of Kentucky.
