Two seasons ago, it was widely seen as a coup when the Rams hired Jeff Fisher as head coach.
Another shrewd move was landing long-time Falcons personnel man Les Snead as general manager.
With two drafts, you can see that the Rams are making progress. Of the 17 players drafted, 15 are still with the team. Six of them started in the season opener against the Arizona Cardinals, seven played as reserves, one was inactive and one was suspended.
The Rams have gambled on players with red flags in the draft, such as cornerbacks Janoris Jenkins and Trumaine Johnson and Georgia linebacker Alec Ogletree.
One of the two draft whiffs was guard Rokevious Watkins, of Creekside High and South Carolina. He reported to camp overweight twice and was waived.
Running back Isaiah Pead, a second-round pick in 2012, returns after serving a one-game suspension for violation of the NFL’s substance-abuse policy.
“He’s very Bush-like to me, Reggie Bush,” Falcons defensive coordinator Mike Nolan said. “I think he’s an outstanding player. He’s a high draft pick that they’ve been wanting to use more and more.”
The Rams also added slot receiver Tavon Austin and Ogletree in the first round of the 2013 draft.
“He’s a playmaker, and they want to get the ball in his hands,” Nolan said of Austin. “In order to do that, they’ll move him around. He’s an explosive player.”
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