The 2024 NFL Draft was an eventful one for the Los Angeles Rams as they made 10 total selections to add to their young roster.
The Rams addressed their defensive line first and foremost, selecting Jared Verse and then trading up to take his Florida State teammate Braden Fiske. Los Angeles spent most of their draft capital building the trenches, as they took two more defensive linemen and two offensive linemen to supplement their depth on both sides.
However, it wouldn’t be a draft class without a late-round wide receiver and the Rams got good value by taking Jordan Whittington at No. 213 overall. Whittington played alongside higher-touted prospects like Xavier Worthy and Adonai Mitchell, but was revered by his teammates for his willingness to do whatever was asked of him on the field.
Now in Los Angeles, Whittington is looking forward to learning from Cooper Kupp, who he believes is one of the smartest players at the wideout position, via Stu Jackson of TheRams.com:
“I’m a student of the game, and Cooper Kupp I feel like is a professor,” Whittington said after being drafted in the sixth round by the Rams on Saturday. “So I want to get to that level.”
Despite not having practiced or played a snap for Los Angeles yet, Whittington already seems to understand how he can contribute on the team:
“I see the way that they use Puka (Nacua) with all the different ways, the blocking,” Whittington said. “You want someone that can get gritty, and I think I’m really good at that. It’s mutually beneficially.”
Whittington fits the mold of the kind of receiver that head coach Sean McVay likes as he can line up all over the formation but is more than happy to act as a decoy or block if needed. This year’s draft class was full of talented wideouts, and Whittington might’ve gone higher in other drafts.
However, the Rams must be happy to have come away with someone like Whittington with one of their Day 3 picks. Les Snead and McVay have a solid hit rate on these late-round picks, so it’ll be interesting to see if Whittington can carve out a role early on.
Sean McVay says Rams felt good coming away with Jared Verse
With the run of offensive players in the first round, Verse fell into the Rams’ lap at No. 19 and McVay acknowledged that the team felt good about coming away with him after Day 1.
