The Los Angeles Rams were able to add yet another talent to the tight end room after taking Brycen Hopkins out of Purdue with the 136th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.
With no pick in the first round, general manager Les Snead opted to stay the course by taking advantage of their four total picks on Day 2. However, he decided to kick things up a notch by trading back with the Houston Texans in an effort to shore up some more draft capital on the last day.
Los Angeles still found themselves in a position to take an intriguing prospect in Hopkins during the fourth round. It seems he was able to make quite an impression on the coaching staff.
Snead feels Hopkins has the potential to make an immediate impact in the 2020 NFL season, via Stu Jackson of the team’s official website:
“We really like our tight end room right now, but we had him highly rated and felt like he could come in and carve out a role early but also later,” Snead said. “We didn’t have to make that pick, but sometimes when you make those types of picks, there’s an element of drafting in a microscope, but also with a telescope and you feel like, ‘Hey, the guy can make plays.’
The decision to go tight end so early on was certainly a bit of a surprise considering all the notable empty spots in their personnel. Regardless, it is clear that the opportunity to bring in a player of his caliber was too much to pass up on.
Tight end Tyler Higbee was able to secure a three-down role thanks to his stellar performance down the stretch of the 2019 campaign. Although he had always been a capable run-blocker, his prowess as a pass-catcher has made him the workhorse up front moving forward.
Of course, the decision to bring in Hopkins may have a bigger impact on tight end Gerald Everett than it does for Higbee. After all, Everett had served as the receiving option in the tight end room up until last season. This only raises further speculation regarding his uncertain future in Los Angeles as he enters the final year of his rookie contract.
Head coach Sean McVay has always had an affinity for running two-tight end sets ever since his days with the Washington Redskins. It is safe to say that they now have more than enough personnel to make it happen.
