It’s never fair to judge a draft class after just one season. The transition from college to the pros can be a steep one and most players simply don’t come in and have an immediate impact in the NFL.
It’s probably unfair to judge a class even after two seasons for the same reasons. But after nearly three years, teams have a good idea of whether they hit or missed on picks from a certain draft.
For the Rams, they’re now in Year 3 with their 2020 draftees and looking back, the class seems like a huge miss. That’s unfortunate because a lot was expected of those players this season due to the departures suffered in free agency during the offseason.
In fact, I even wrote back in August how important this year was for the 2020 class, pointing out six players who could potentially be starters or key backups. Here’s a portion of that article:
Heading into the 2022 season, the Rams could be asking a lot of their draft class from two years ago. The 2020 class has shown plenty of promise, led by Cam Akers and Van Jefferson, but this year, even more players will need to step up.
There could be as many as six starters and key backups from the Rams’ 2020 class alone this season.
- Cam Akers: Starting RB
- Van Jefferson: No. 3 WR
- Terrell Lewis: No. 2/3 edge rusher
- Brycen Hopkins: No. 2 tight end
- Jordan Fuller: Starting safety
- Tremayne Anchrum: Backup G/T
I didn’t include Terrell Burgess originally because, well, he was still the fourth safety behind Jordan Fuller, Taylor Rapp and Nick Scott. And now midway through the season, he’s been cut by the Rams, making this class look even weaker.
Let’s recap the picks the Rams made in 2020, which shows how big of a miss that class has been nearly three years later.
- Cam Akers (2nd round): nearly traded, 154 yards this season
- Van Jefferson (2nd round): injured, 0 catches in 2022
- Terrell Lewis (3rd round): 0 starts, 1 sack in 2022
- Terrell Burgess (3rd round): 3 career starts, cut
- Brycen Hopkins (4th round): suspended 3 games, 0 catches in 2022
- Jordan Fuller (6th round): missed 5 games this season
- Clay Johnston (7th round): Cut in 2020
- Sam Sloman (7th round): Cut in 2020
- Tremayne Anchrum Jr. (7th round): out for season
Looking ahead to the 2023 season, there’s a chance only one or two of those players will be on the 53-man roster. Jefferson should be, and probably Fuller, too. But other than that, there are no certainties in this group.
The Rams’ poor drafting in 2020, as well as bad injury luck with Jefferson, Fuller and Anchrum, have really hurt the overall construction of the roster. That’s not to diminish the impact Jefferson and Fuller had last season when the Rams won the Super Bowl, but you need more than one good season out of a draft class.
What’s worse is the 2021 class doesn’t look any better, led by Tutu Atwell and his one career reception. But we’ll save that class for another day.
