Part of the pre-draft process for analysts and experts is comparing incoming prospects to current and former NFL players. It’s a good way to give fans an idea of what type of player each prospect is, especially when they’re compared to a player from their favorite team.
Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar made NFL comparisons for the top 50 prospects in the class and four of them were compared to players who have suited up for the Rams, including current star Cooper Kupp. One of the top quarterbacks in the draft, C.J. Stroud, was even compared to former No. 1 overall pick, Sam Bradford.
Here’s a look at the four prospects in the top 50 who were compared to players who have worn the horns.
2. C.J. Stroud, QB, Ohio State: Sam Bradford
Stroud has an outside chance to go No. 1 overall to the Panthers but in all likelihood, he’ll be the second or third quarterback off the board. He’s a talented passer who excelled at Ohio State, using pinpoint accuracy to make some eye-popping throws deep down the field.
Bradford fizzled out with the Rams after he couldn’t stay healthy, but he was one of the most accurate passers in the NFL in his prime.
Here’s Farrar’s take on the comparison:
We’re talking about the Bradford who would light up NFL fields occasionally with good-not-great velocity, easy movement, and ridiculous ball placement, not the Bradford who unfortunately couldn’t stay healthy. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 draft by the Rams out of Oklahoma, Bradford had a cool demeanor on the field, surprising mobility, ridiculous ball location, and an arm that was good enough to get everything done. In those cases, he was very much what Stroud is now.
10. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Ohio State: Cooper Kupp
Anytime you’re compared to a triple crown winner and Offensive Player of the Year, it’s a good thing. So Smith-Njigba has that going for him as he attempts to be the first wideout off the board.
Smith-Njigba may not be the best athlete in the draft, but he gets open and he can make defenders miss after the catch. Those are two things Kupp does extremely well despite not having breakaway speed or off-the-charts athleticism.
From Farrar:
The Rams stole Kupp in the third round of the 2017 draft out of Eastern Washington, and Kupp made it clear pretty quickly that he was going to define Sean McVay’s passing game, regardless of the quarterback, with his route precision, his awareness of defenders around him, and his ability to move away from them despite decent (but not amazing) straight-speed. The NFL team adding Smith-Njigba to its roster will benefit from all of this at a very high level.
35. Will McDonald IV, EDGE, Iowa State: Robert Quinn
Quinn was a star for the Rams early in his career, earning back-to-back Pro Bowl selections in 2013 and 2014, as well as a first-team All-Pro nod in 2013. He finished fourth in Defensive Player of the Year voting that year, too.
McDonald fittingly is a potential target for the Rams at No. 36 overall, looking every bit like one of the best all-around pass rushers in the draft. He’s also been compared to Leonard Floyd for his run defense, so either way, the Rams should like the characteristics he brings to the NFL.
Farrar almost compared McDonald to the great Dwight Freeney, too:
I’m not going to compare McDonald to Dwight Freeney, though there are similarities in the spin techniques and the ability to create turnovers. So, I’ll go with Quinn, selected with the 14th pick of the 2011 draft by the Rams. Quinn has parlayed a smooth, quick, athletic tool box to 106 sacks, 505 total pressures, and 26 forced fumbles in his NFL career so far. It’s hard to give an accurate comp for McDonald right now because he’ll be used so differently in the NFL (at the edge as opposed to inside the tackles in a bunch of three-man fronts), and to his great advantage. I can’t wait to see what he does at the next level.
47. Drew Sanders, LB/EDGE, Arkansas: Connor Barwin
Like McDonald, Sanders is a possible target for the Rams in Round 2. He’s a versatile linebacker who doesn’t just play off the ball, but also rushes the passer on blitzes and as an edge defender. He could move all over the Rams’ defense if he lands in Los Angeles, doing a little bit of everything on the second level.
Barwin only played one season with the Rams in 2017, Sean McVay’s first year, but he had five sacks and 12 QB hits in his second-to-last year in the NFL.
From Farrar:
The Texans took Barwin in the second round of the 2009 draft out of Cincinnati, and while Barwin always had a decent number of snaps in the box throughout his career with Houston, the Eagles, the Rams, and the Giants, he was primarily an edge guy — and a very good one at his peak, with three seasons of double-digit sacks. Sanders profiles pretty well in that same way.
