The LA Rams finally got over the hump and won the Super Bowl thanks in part to a series of high-leverage trades, picking up key pieces like Jalen Ramsey, Von Miller and Matthew Stafford along the way. The two most critical elements of their Super Bowl victory over the Bengals still came via the draft, though. Defensive tackle Aaron Donald slipped to the Rams at No. 13 overall in 2014 and he’s now in the conversation with names like Lawrence Taylor and Mean Joe Greene for the best defender of all time.
The real steal didn’t come far from the Seahawks’ homebase, though. Eastern Washington’s Cooper Kupp fell to the Rams in the third round of the 2017 draft and he’s coming off arguably the greatest season for a wide receiver ever. Kupp was instrumental in LA’s championship-winning drive and posted 92 yards and two touchdowns. For his trouble, Kupp won the Super Bowl MVP trophy.
Credit at least in part goes to Cincinnati’s head coach Zac Taylor, who helped the Rams discover Kupp when he was still on Sean McVay’s staff.
Seahawks great Matt Hasselbeck says the lesson is for young athletes to keep working and sometimes the right coach may find you.
I love this.. athletes, keep working and the right coach may find you. 🏆 #SB56MVP pic.twitter.com/QkVQCNVB0t
— Matt Hasselbeck (@Hasselbeck) February 19, 2022
