May 1, 2025 • 15 mins
Ricky Hollywood is joined by NFL analyst Bucky Brooks to break down the Rams’ 2025 Draft. They discuss which draft picks may contribute right away, how you can never have too many pass rushers, and how trading their first round pick this season can end up paying dividends in the seasons to come.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:03):
What's Up Jammie's Welcome back to another episode of Ricky's
Ram Jam as we recap the twenty twenty five draft.
The Rams welcome six new players to LA and NFL Networks.
Bucky Brooks will be joining me soon to analyze the
picks and talk about the impact that these players could
make this season. And this past weekend wasn't just about
the players selected, it was about the whole experience. A
(00:25):
huge thank you to our friends at lafd Air Operations
in Van Nuys, where the Rams Draft HQ was, for
letting us share their space the entire weekend. And thank
you to all the first responders for all that they
have done and continue to do for this great city. Okay,
for the coin toss this week, I just want to
go ahead and bring us into the winners circle. If
you picked Option one last week, give yourself a pat
(00:47):
on the back because the Rams traded the twenty six
overall pick along with one hundred and first overall to
the Falcons for a forty six the two hundred and
forty second pick and a twenty twenty six first rounder.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
Let's hear from Coach after this happened, I.
Speaker 3 (01:01):
Think less and his group, our coaches working in collaboration.
There's a lot of appreciation for a lot of players
that'll be pulled off the board tomorrow and in the
early parts of Saturday. And so I think, looking at
where our team is overall, the value that we were
able to get to be able to move back just
twenty spots felt like it was too good to be
able to pass up. And we're gonna come away with
(01:21):
some good football players tomorrow, for sure.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
It does make a lot of sense.
Speaker 1 (01:23):
And then General Manager Les Snead went on to say
about how pumped up he is for this team.
Speaker 2 (01:29):
Okay, a little bit of Rams news.
Speaker 1 (01:30):
Over the weekend, there was a really cool tweet put
out by the Rams pr handle ahead of the draft,
and I'm just going to read it to you here.
General Manager Less Snead is the only GM over the
last decade to draft at least three players who have
been honored as the offensive or defensive Rookie of the Year.
Aaron Donald you heard of him, running back, Todd Gurley
(01:51):
accomplished a feat in back to back seasons, and Jared
Verse our twenty twenty four defensive Rookie of the Year.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
So I'm excited to see what's next.
Speaker 1 (02:02):
Less and his team are doing work year after year,
and to dive deeper on this year's draft class, we're
bringing in NFL analysts for NFL Network and Fox Sports.
Speaker 2 (02:11):
Bucky Brooks. Bucky, how are you?
Speaker 4 (02:13):
I'm good. What's going on for Cayliwood?
Speaker 2 (02:16):
Not much.
Speaker 1 (02:17):
I'm excited to announce that my first nephew was born
and my brother named him Brooks.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
So what a coincidence?
Speaker 4 (02:26):
How about that? It's all good A shout out?
Speaker 2 (02:29):
Yeah, appreciate that. Pretty cool. How was your weekend? Low key?
Speaker 4 (02:33):
Yeah? It was pretty low key. He didn't do much,
you know, just kind of hung out on the beaches
and stuff. You know. But when I came back in
after you kind of spend a few days on the beach,
like people saying, like, I guess some major event took
place over a weekends of football.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
I don't know.
Speaker 4 (02:45):
I was just kind of laying out, you.
Speaker 2 (02:46):
Know, exactly, just lounging.
Speaker 1 (02:50):
The Rams drafted six players, a much smaller number than
in previous years. Do you feel like that is a
reflection of how far this roster has come in the
last two years.
Speaker 4 (03:00):
No, I mean I think every year the draft is different.
I mean, if we're think about it like snowflakes, every year,
dependent upon the depth in the class, dependent upon what
assets you have in terms of how many opportunities you're
able to draft, and what you do with those opportunities
determine how big your draft class is. I will say,
I'm sure a less needing company love what they've done
(03:21):
with their roster the last year or so. The way
this team has been able to compete at a high
level while still doing what I would call a rebuild
on the flo is really impressive. And the reason it's
been so impressive is because they have really nailed it
when it comes to the draft and looking and reading
all the things about the Rams leading up to our interview,
(03:41):
they have a clear plan for the types of guys
they want. They have a clear process that has worked
for them over the years, and they just make sure
that the type of players they breeding in fit the
identity and the profile of the culture that they've established
in La.
Speaker 2 (03:55):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (03:56):
I mean they traded back with day one on Day
one with the fl Felkins receiving their twenty twenty six
first round pick.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
Was that a deal the Rams just couldn't pass up?
To sort of get these players that you said fit
the mold.
Speaker 4 (04:08):
Well, it's not only about getting the players to fit
the mold this year, but it's setting them up to
maybe jump in a talented quarterback pool next year. And
so what you always want is you always want to
have multiple first round picks to be able to have
currency to move up and down the board as you
see fit if they're special prospects in the next class.
(04:30):
And so many people have already started looking ahead to
twenty twenty six. They're talking about the class that could
potentially include Arch Manning. What everyone wants to make sure
that they have the treasure chest full of enough assets
to be able to get up if you're in the
mix to get a special quarterback if he is what
many expects him to be.
Speaker 1 (04:51):
Yeah, So the Rams first pick was the Oregon tight
end Terrence Ferguson in the second round. What did you
like most from his tape and how do you see
him fitting into this current tight end room with Tyler Higbee,
Colby Parkinson, and Davis Allen.
Speaker 4 (05:05):
You know, it's funny because he kind of has a
mix of all of those traits that the guys that
you have, whatever their superviwers are. He kind of has
a blend. I would say he's more similar to Tyler
Higbee in terms of a guy that can kind of
move around and make things happen. He also is a
guy that was on the rise. I would say throughout
the process this was one of the best tight end
classes that we've seen in sometime. He certainly enhanced that
(05:28):
based on what he brings to the table. I think
for Sean McVay, what you're trying to do is you're
trying to have enough big bodies at that position where
you can jump into some multi tight end sets. You
can create and exploit some mismatches, whether that is operating
with twelve personnel one back two tight ends, whether that's
thirteen personnel one back three tight ends. You would like
(05:49):
to have a deep and talented stable of tight ends,
so now you can dictate to the defense as opposed
to defense dictating to the offense. Sean McVay has certainly
said l up by having Ferguson into second round pick
that can come in and make an immediate contribution on
the premier.
Speaker 1 (06:05):
Yeah, and in the third round out of Michigan, they
selected the edge Josiah Stewart.
Speaker 2 (06:10):
Can a team ever have too many pass rushers?
Speaker 4 (06:14):
No, you can't. And really, what you're doing if you're
less need you're looking at the team and you're saying, Okay, offensively,
we have an opportunity to be pretty good. If we're
going to be pretty good, we need to have enough
guys that can close out games. You need enough pass
rushers that can close out games against teams that are
gonna be chasing points many they're going to have to pass.
So Stewart gives them another guy to jump in and
(06:34):
as they're attacking the quarterback, you want to be able
to attack him in waves and he'll jump in. He'll
have to make his way and kind of find a
role as a third round pick, but if he does
what they expect him to do, he'll be a very
valuable contributor early and maybe by year two. He's a
guy that is on the field all the time, making
plays and really being a big part of their defense.
Speaker 1 (06:54):
I mean, the Rams defense last year had thirty eight
sacks last season, So you know he's he's dangerous, joining
Jared Verse, Byron Young, Braden Fist, Kobe Turner. Like you said,
if he can really kind of edge out a role here.
That's going to be an exciting defense.
Speaker 4 (07:09):
Yeah, it has to be an exciting time if you
are Chrishul and you're looking at the defense, you're looking
at what you have at your disposal. It's not only
about being a starter, but it's about being able to
play maybe seven to eight guys on the front line
and then with so many people using various sub packages
where they have substitution packages with multiple edge rushers and
(07:30):
multiple linebackers and throwing different looks, exotic looks at opponents.
Stewart's versatility will give him a chance to kind of
get into makeing me be a contributor.
Speaker 2 (07:39):
Yeah, let's switch to offense for a second.
Speaker 1 (07:43):
The Rams added to their running back room in the
fourth round with Jarquees Hunter out of Auburn. You know
we have Kyron Williams. Blake Korum and co coach McCay
talked about his home run ability in what ways can
he make this group even better?
Speaker 4 (07:57):
Well, I mean you just think about the rotation, right,
you have Karen Williams, who has been a guy who
has really shown that he could be one of the
best running backs in the league. You're backing them up
with Blake korm who is a steady eddie, dependable, reliable,
kind of a rocking soccer robot at the position. When
now you have another running back who has big playability.
So when those two guys kind of wear down the defense,
(08:18):
you pop him in and he is now a fast
guy looking for explosive plays and he could be going
against a fatigue defense. The importance of having so many
running backs, so many guys into rotation, keeping everybody fresh.
It is a long season, but more importantly in the
late stages of the game when you need to close
it out, he has big play potential, which is why
(08:38):
it's really important to have so many talented running backs
in the stable.
Speaker 1 (08:41):
Yeah, I know. Back back to defense for a second.
The cornerback position was like a position many thought the
Rams would focus on in this draft, but they didn't
draft any defensive backs. Do you think that's a vote
of confidence in the group the Rams have in place?
Like Darius Williams they resigned to Keilla Weatherspoon, Kobe Durant
had a great season.
Speaker 4 (09:01):
I think a couple of things can be true. One
they probably like the acquisitions who were I would say, like,
really bargain basement, high value players that you brought in
that can really bring a high rate of return without
really being very expensive. And menu foros that we got
last year. Darius Williams, who has played better in LA
(09:22):
than he ever did in Jacksonville. He helps oil Willerspoon
being able to come back. So that gives you three
right there that you feel you can line up and play.
And then sometimes the draft doesn't fall your way, meaning
the guys that you have targeted, the guys that are
sitting atop of your board when you get to each round,
sometimes those guys are snapped up and you just don't
have an opportunity to address a position that maybe you
(09:46):
want to dress going in. But there's a lot of time,
and there's time to find other guys that are on
the street leading into training camp where maybe they can
find some more contributors to the defensive backfield.
Speaker 1 (09:58):
Yeah, are there any other picks that stand out to you?
And looking at this rams draft as a whole, you
know the.
Speaker 4 (10:06):
Thing that sends out to me, I would say Chris
Paul linebacker from Old Miss stands out because he is
a seaball gearball defender and I just think about the
success that the Rams have had with their linebackers, like
kind of unheralded players, but they all kind of have
similar traits. Active, great instincts, great athleticism, and the awareness
(10:27):
to be able to kind of slither through cracks and
make plays. Chris Paul does that. At Old Miss, he
was fantastic in terms of coming and shooting gaps and
making plays. He's another guy that kind of fits the
profile that has had a lot of success when it
comes to later round picks. They've had a lot of
success getting guys on the field and watching those late
round picks immediately change the tenor and the tone of
(10:49):
the defense. Chris Paul has some of that. He'll make
his immediate mark as a special teamer, but by the
end of the year he have had a chance to
correct the rotation to make some plays.
Speaker 1 (10:57):
Yeah, and then them adding Konate Monkyel a wide receiver
in the seventh round, I think is an interesting fit
with you know Puoka and you have to too, and
you know Jordan.
Speaker 2 (11:10):
Whittington had such a great season.
Speaker 1 (11:12):
I think that is a really interesting pick when they
had only six this year.
Speaker 4 (11:16):
Yeah, it is an interesting pick, but there was something
about him when you're in the seventh round, You're basically
looking for guys who have redeeming qualities that you like,
and you want to bring them in. You want to
make sure that you get him, so you don't want
to wait until the undratted free agent market where you
don't have an opportunity. So you draft him, you bring
him in, and you let him compete. And even though
it might appear that the wide receiver room is loaded,
(11:37):
you can never have too many good players.
Speaker 2 (11:39):
And with.
Speaker 4 (11:41):
The opportunity to look in assess the roster to figure
out do we need five receivers, do we need six?
Do we go down to four? Practice squad and those things.
He was intriguing enough that you want to work with him,
and then it's on him as the seventh round pick
to prove that it is worthy of being on the
active roster or he's good enough to be on the
practice squad.
Speaker 2 (11:59):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (12:00):
Yeah, I thought that we got a bunch of cool
names this year. I mean, Chris Paul goes by Pooh Paul.
That's the best thing I've ever heard of my life.
Speaker 4 (12:07):
Come on, Pooh? Who doesn't like Pooh? Everybody? Everybody needs
a pool in their life. Everybody needs a winning pool
in their life.
Speaker 2 (12:14):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (12:14):
Just I mean, this LA team is full of swag overall, Buggy.
Where what would you give this RAMS draft if you
had to give it a grade for this weekend?
Speaker 4 (12:24):
I think it's really solid, so I would give it
a B plus in terms of what they were able
to accomplish. I would give it a conditional B plus
because we don't know where that first round pick next
year is going to turn into. Yeah, I have to
revisit it and change the grades like we used to
do in college.
Speaker 2 (12:39):
Exactly exactly.
Speaker 1 (12:40):
I'm thinking knowing less sneed and team I don't know.
I feel like you're going to be coming back next season,
being like, hey, I said B plus, but it's it's
an a solid A.
Speaker 4 (12:48):
I mean, I have to knock on your door for
office hours and see if I can conrict you.
Speaker 2 (12:52):
Know my mistakes absolutely, Buggy.
Speaker 1 (12:55):
Before I let you go, it's time for the RAM Jam,
where I asked my guest the same three questions to
end the show, Bucky, what is a red flag about you?
Speaker 4 (13:05):
Red flag? Ooh? A red flag would be that I
don't eat red meat? How about that?
Speaker 2 (13:13):
Really? Is that a new thing that's not a new thing.
Speaker 4 (13:16):
I've never really had a big a bunch of red meat,
so I'm not really a meat eater.
Speaker 2 (13:20):
Okay, that could be a red flag.
Speaker 1 (13:23):
Yeah maybe for some I guess if you weren't doing
this job, where would you be right now?
Speaker 4 (13:28):
I would be teaching and coaching in high school, trying
to enlighten the young minds of tomorrow.
Speaker 2 (13:35):
I love that.
Speaker 1 (13:36):
And what is your favorite sports moment of all time?
Speaker 4 (13:40):
Favorite sports moment of all time or I would say
my personal moment is coaching high school football, watching a
team that I was coaching win a championship. Let's see,
I have championship. That was a big deal. First time
in school, like twenty seven years, so it was a
big deal to watch a team of like underdogs kind
(14:00):
of scrap their way to the top.
Speaker 1 (14:02):
How of that amazing? Amazing? Well, Bucky, thank you so
much for hanging out. And I'm looking forward to the
grade changing to an A when we see what the
Rams pull off, you know, in the rest of the
off season and into twenty twenty five.
Speaker 4 (14:17):
This should be a lot of fun. The team is loaded,
looking forward to watching him compete for title contention.
Speaker 2 (14:23):
There he goes Bucky Brooks, love his insight.
Speaker 1 (14:27):
And yes, my brother and his wife did have little
baby Brooks who's back in New England and I'm excited
to get him in his first RAMS onesie asap. Thanks
so much for hanging out you guys. This is a exciting,
exciting time. There's Rookie Media Day, there's so much fun
RAMS content coming your way. So just because it's the
(14:50):
off season and the draft's over and we're looking at
twenty twenty five doesn't.
Speaker 2 (14:54):
Mean the Rams ever slow down. So keep it locked
and you guys know what to do. Let's ram it
Speaker 4 (15:04):
For your
What's Up Jammie's Welcome back to another episode of Ricky's
Ram Jam as we recap the twenty twenty five draft.
The Rams welcome six new players to LA and NFL Networks.
Bucky Brooks will be joining me soon to analyze the
picks and talk about the impact that these players could
make this season. And this past weekend wasn't just about
the players selected, it was about the whole experience. A
(00:25):
huge thank you to our friends at lafd Air Operations
in Van Nuys, where the Rams Draft HQ was, for
letting us share their space the entire weekend. And thank
you to all the first responders for all that they
have done and continue to do for this great city. Okay,
for the coin toss this week, I just want to
go ahead and bring us into the winners circle. If
you picked Option one last week, give yourself a pat
(00:47):
on the back because the Rams traded the twenty six
overall pick along with one hundred and first overall to
the Falcons for a forty six the two hundred and
forty second pick and a twenty twenty six first rounder.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
Let's hear from Coach after this happened, I.
Speaker 3 (01:01):
Think less and his group, our coaches working in collaboration.
There's a lot of appreciation for a lot of players
that'll be pulled off the board tomorrow and in the
early parts of Saturday. And so I think, looking at
where our team is overall, the value that we were
able to get to be able to move back just
twenty spots felt like it was too good to be
able to pass up. And we're gonna come away with
(01:21):
some good football players tomorrow, for sure.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
It does make a lot of sense.
Speaker 1 (01:23):
And then General Manager Les Snead went on to say
about how pumped up he is for this team.
Speaker 2 (01:29):
Okay, a little bit of Rams news.
Speaker 1 (01:30):
Over the weekend, there was a really cool tweet put
out by the Rams pr handle ahead of the draft,
and I'm just going to read it to you here.
General Manager Less Snead is the only GM over the
last decade to draft at least three players who have
been honored as the offensive or defensive Rookie of the Year.
Aaron Donald you heard of him, running back, Todd Gurley
(01:51):
accomplished a feat in back to back seasons, and Jared
Verse our twenty twenty four defensive Rookie of the Year.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
So I'm excited to see what's next.
Speaker 1 (02:02):
Less and his team are doing work year after year,
and to dive deeper on this year's draft class, we're
bringing in NFL analysts for NFL Network and Fox Sports.
Speaker 2 (02:11):
Bucky Brooks. Bucky, how are you?
Speaker 4 (02:13):
I'm good. What's going on for Cayliwood?
Speaker 2 (02:16):
Not much.
Speaker 1 (02:17):
I'm excited to announce that my first nephew was born
and my brother named him Brooks.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
So what a coincidence?
Speaker 4 (02:26):
How about that? It's all good A shout out?
Speaker 2 (02:29):
Yeah, appreciate that. Pretty cool. How was your weekend? Low key?
Speaker 4 (02:33):
Yeah? It was pretty low key. He didn't do much,
you know, just kind of hung out on the beaches
and stuff. You know. But when I came back in
after you kind of spend a few days on the beach,
like people saying, like, I guess some major event took
place over a weekends of football.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
I don't know.
Speaker 4 (02:45):
I was just kind of laying out, you.
Speaker 2 (02:46):
Know, exactly, just lounging.
Speaker 1 (02:50):
The Rams drafted six players, a much smaller number than
in previous years. Do you feel like that is a
reflection of how far this roster has come in the
last two years.
Speaker 4 (03:00):
No, I mean I think every year the draft is different.
I mean, if we're think about it like snowflakes, every year,
dependent upon the depth in the class, dependent upon what
assets you have in terms of how many opportunities you're
able to draft, and what you do with those opportunities
determine how big your draft class is. I will say,
I'm sure a less needing company love what they've done
(03:21):
with their roster the last year or so. The way
this team has been able to compete at a high
level while still doing what I would call a rebuild
on the flo is really impressive. And the reason it's
been so impressive is because they have really nailed it
when it comes to the draft and looking and reading
all the things about the Rams leading up to our interview,
(03:41):
they have a clear plan for the types of guys
they want. They have a clear process that has worked
for them over the years, and they just make sure
that the type of players they breeding in fit the
identity and the profile of the culture that they've established
in La.
Speaker 2 (03:55):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (03:56):
I mean they traded back with day one on Day
one with the fl Felkins receiving their twenty twenty six
first round pick.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
Was that a deal the Rams just couldn't pass up?
To sort of get these players that you said fit
the mold.
Speaker 4 (04:08):
Well, it's not only about getting the players to fit
the mold this year, but it's setting them up to
maybe jump in a talented quarterback pool next year. And
so what you always want is you always want to
have multiple first round picks to be able to have
currency to move up and down the board as you
see fit if they're special prospects in the next class.
(04:30):
And so many people have already started looking ahead to
twenty twenty six. They're talking about the class that could
potentially include Arch Manning. What everyone wants to make sure
that they have the treasure chest full of enough assets
to be able to get up if you're in the
mix to get a special quarterback if he is what
many expects him to be.
Speaker 1 (04:51):
Yeah, So the Rams first pick was the Oregon tight
end Terrence Ferguson in the second round. What did you
like most from his tape and how do you see
him fitting into this current tight end room with Tyler Higbee,
Colby Parkinson, and Davis Allen.
Speaker 4 (05:05):
You know, it's funny because he kind of has a
mix of all of those traits that the guys that
you have, whatever their superviwers are. He kind of has
a blend. I would say he's more similar to Tyler
Higbee in terms of a guy that can kind of
move around and make things happen. He also is a
guy that was on the rise. I would say throughout
the process this was one of the best tight end
classes that we've seen in sometime. He certainly enhanced that
(05:28):
based on what he brings to the table. I think
for Sean McVay, what you're trying to do is you're
trying to have enough big bodies at that position where
you can jump into some multi tight end sets. You
can create and exploit some mismatches, whether that is operating
with twelve personnel one back two tight ends, whether that's
thirteen personnel one back three tight ends. You would like
(05:49):
to have a deep and talented stable of tight ends,
so now you can dictate to the defense as opposed
to defense dictating to the offense. Sean McVay has certainly
said l up by having Ferguson into second round pick
that can come in and make an immediate contribution on
the premier.
Speaker 1 (06:05):
Yeah, and in the third round out of Michigan, they
selected the edge Josiah Stewart.
Speaker 2 (06:10):
Can a team ever have too many pass rushers?
Speaker 4 (06:14):
No, you can't. And really, what you're doing if you're
less need you're looking at the team and you're saying, Okay, offensively,
we have an opportunity to be pretty good. If we're
going to be pretty good, we need to have enough
guys that can close out games. You need enough pass
rushers that can close out games against teams that are
gonna be chasing points many they're going to have to pass.
So Stewart gives them another guy to jump in and
(06:34):
as they're attacking the quarterback, you want to be able
to attack him in waves and he'll jump in. He'll
have to make his way and kind of find a
role as a third round pick, but if he does
what they expect him to do, he'll be a very
valuable contributor early and maybe by year two. He's a
guy that is on the field all the time, making
plays and really being a big part of their defense.
Speaker 1 (06:54):
I mean, the Rams defense last year had thirty eight
sacks last season, So you know he's he's dangerous, joining
Jared Verse, Byron Young, Braden Fist, Kobe Turner. Like you said,
if he can really kind of edge out a role here.
That's going to be an exciting defense.
Speaker 4 (07:09):
Yeah, it has to be an exciting time if you
are Chrishul and you're looking at the defense, you're looking
at what you have at your disposal. It's not only
about being a starter, but it's about being able to
play maybe seven to eight guys on the front line
and then with so many people using various sub packages
where they have substitution packages with multiple edge rushers and
(07:30):
multiple linebackers and throwing different looks, exotic looks at opponents.
Stewart's versatility will give him a chance to kind of
get into makeing me be a contributor.
Speaker 2 (07:39):
Yeah, let's switch to offense for a second.
Speaker 1 (07:43):
The Rams added to their running back room in the
fourth round with Jarquees Hunter out of Auburn. You know
we have Kyron Williams. Blake Korum and co coach McCay
talked about his home run ability in what ways can
he make this group even better?
Speaker 4 (07:57):
Well, I mean you just think about the rotation, right,
you have Karen Williams, who has been a guy who
has really shown that he could be one of the
best running backs in the league. You're backing them up
with Blake korm who is a steady eddie, dependable, reliable,
kind of a rocking soccer robot at the position. When
now you have another running back who has big playability.
So when those two guys kind of wear down the defense,
(08:18):
you pop him in and he is now a fast
guy looking for explosive plays and he could be going
against a fatigue defense. The importance of having so many
running backs, so many guys into rotation, keeping everybody fresh.
It is a long season, but more importantly in the
late stages of the game when you need to close
it out, he has big play potential, which is why
(08:38):
it's really important to have so many talented running backs
in the stable.
Speaker 1 (08:41):
Yeah, I know. Back back to defense for a second.
The cornerback position was like a position many thought the
Rams would focus on in this draft, but they didn't
draft any defensive backs. Do you think that's a vote
of confidence in the group the Rams have in place?
Like Darius Williams they resigned to Keilla Weatherspoon, Kobe Durant
had a great season.
Speaker 4 (09:01):
I think a couple of things can be true. One
they probably like the acquisitions who were I would say, like,
really bargain basement, high value players that you brought in
that can really bring a high rate of return without
really being very expensive. And menu foros that we got
last year. Darius Williams, who has played better in LA
(09:22):
than he ever did in Jacksonville. He helps oil Willerspoon
being able to come back. So that gives you three
right there that you feel you can line up and play.
And then sometimes the draft doesn't fall your way, meaning
the guys that you have targeted, the guys that are
sitting atop of your board when you get to each round,
sometimes those guys are snapped up and you just don't
have an opportunity to address a position that maybe you
(09:46):
want to dress going in. But there's a lot of time,
and there's time to find other guys that are on
the street leading into training camp where maybe they can
find some more contributors to the defensive backfield.
Speaker 1 (09:58):
Yeah, are there any other picks that stand out to you?
And looking at this rams draft as a whole, you
know the.
Speaker 4 (10:06):
Thing that sends out to me, I would say Chris
Paul linebacker from Old Miss stands out because he is
a seaball gearball defender and I just think about the
success that the Rams have had with their linebackers, like
kind of unheralded players, but they all kind of have
similar traits. Active, great instincts, great athleticism, and the awareness
(10:27):
to be able to kind of slither through cracks and
make plays. Chris Paul does that. At Old Miss, he
was fantastic in terms of coming and shooting gaps and
making plays. He's another guy that kind of fits the
profile that has had a lot of success when it
comes to later round picks. They've had a lot of
success getting guys on the field and watching those late
round picks immediately change the tenor and the tone of
(10:49):
the defense. Chris Paul has some of that. He'll make
his immediate mark as a special teamer, but by the
end of the year he have had a chance to
correct the rotation to make some plays.
Speaker 1 (10:57):
Yeah, and then them adding Konate Monkyel a wide receiver
in the seventh round, I think is an interesting fit
with you know Puoka and you have to too, and
you know Jordan.
Speaker 2 (11:10):
Whittington had such a great season.
Speaker 1 (11:12):
I think that is a really interesting pick when they
had only six this year.
Speaker 4 (11:16):
Yeah, it is an interesting pick, but there was something
about him when you're in the seventh round, You're basically
looking for guys who have redeeming qualities that you like,
and you want to bring them in. You want to
make sure that you get him, so you don't want
to wait until the undratted free agent market where you
don't have an opportunity. So you draft him, you bring
him in, and you let him compete. And even though
it might appear that the wide receiver room is loaded,
(11:37):
you can never have too many good players.
Speaker 2 (11:39):
And with.
Speaker 4 (11:41):
The opportunity to look in assess the roster to figure
out do we need five receivers, do we need six?
Do we go down to four? Practice squad and those things.
He was intriguing enough that you want to work with him,
and then it's on him as the seventh round pick
to prove that it is worthy of being on the
active roster or he's good enough to be on the
practice squad.
Speaker 2 (11:59):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (12:00):
Yeah, I thought that we got a bunch of cool
names this year. I mean, Chris Paul goes by Pooh Paul.
That's the best thing I've ever heard of my life.
Speaker 4 (12:07):
Come on, Pooh? Who doesn't like Pooh? Everybody? Everybody needs
a pool in their life. Everybody needs a winning pool
in their life.
Speaker 2 (12:14):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (12:14):
Just I mean, this LA team is full of swag overall, Buggy.
Where what would you give this RAMS draft if you
had to give it a grade for this weekend?
Speaker 4 (12:24):
I think it's really solid, so I would give it
a B plus in terms of what they were able
to accomplish. I would give it a conditional B plus
because we don't know where that first round pick next
year is going to turn into. Yeah, I have to
revisit it and change the grades like we used to
do in college.
Speaker 2 (12:39):
Exactly exactly.
Speaker 1 (12:40):
I'm thinking knowing less sneed and team I don't know.
I feel like you're going to be coming back next season,
being like, hey, I said B plus, but it's it's
an a solid A.
Speaker 4 (12:48):
I mean, I have to knock on your door for
office hours and see if I can conrict you.
Speaker 2 (12:52):
Know my mistakes absolutely, Buggy.
Speaker 1 (12:55):
Before I let you go, it's time for the RAM Jam,
where I asked my guest the same three questions to
end the show, Bucky, what is a red flag about you?
Speaker 4 (13:05):
Red flag? Ooh? A red flag would be that I
don't eat red meat? How about that?
Speaker 2 (13:13):
Really? Is that a new thing that's not a new thing.
Speaker 4 (13:16):
I've never really had a big a bunch of red meat,
so I'm not really a meat eater.
Speaker 2 (13:20):
Okay, that could be a red flag.
Speaker 1 (13:23):
Yeah maybe for some I guess if you weren't doing
this job, where would you be right now?
Speaker 4 (13:28):
I would be teaching and coaching in high school, trying
to enlighten the young minds of tomorrow.
Speaker 2 (13:35):
I love that.
Speaker 1 (13:36):
And what is your favorite sports moment of all time?
Speaker 4 (13:40):
Favorite sports moment of all time or I would say
my personal moment is coaching high school football, watching a
team that I was coaching win a championship. Let's see,
I have championship. That was a big deal. First time
in school, like twenty seven years, so it was a
big deal to watch a team of like underdogs kind
(14:00):
of scrap their way to the top.
Speaker 1 (14:02):
How of that amazing? Amazing? Well, Bucky, thank you so
much for hanging out. And I'm looking forward to the
grade changing to an A when we see what the
Rams pull off, you know, in the rest of the
off season and into twenty twenty five.
Speaker 4 (14:17):
This should be a lot of fun. The team is loaded,
looking forward to watching him compete for title contention.
Speaker 2 (14:23):
There he goes Bucky Brooks, love his insight.
Speaker 1 (14:27):
And yes, my brother and his wife did have little
baby Brooks who's back in New England and I'm excited
to get him in his first RAMS onesie asap. Thanks
so much for hanging out you guys. This is a exciting,
exciting time. There's Rookie Media Day, there's so much fun
RAMS content coming your way. So just because it's the
(14:50):
off season and the draft's over and we're looking at
twenty twenty five doesn't.
Speaker 2 (14:54):
Mean the Rams ever slow down. So keep it locked
and you guys know what to do. Let's ram it
Speaker 4 (15:04):
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