In recent years, no organization has seen a greater turnaround than the Los Angeles Rams, making the postseason three of the last four years after going 3-13 in their first year back in L.A.
Obviously the hire of Sean McVay as head coach is a big reason for that, although there are some other factors involved as well.
Despite not having a first-round pick since they took Jared Goff first overall in 2016, the Rams have still drafted a ton of talented players to keep the team in a position to contend.
Other than general manager Les Snead, the main man responsible for that was director of college scouting Brad Holmes. Unfortunately, the Rams are losing Holmes as Adam Schefter of ESPN is reporting that he is being hired as general manager of the Detroit Lions:
Lions expected to hire Los Angeles Rams' director of college scouting Brad Holmes as their new general manager, per source. They are finalizing a multi-year deal.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 14, 2021
The Lions front office underwent a complete overhaul this offseason, and it became clear early on that they had significant interest in Holmes after interviewing him twice.
Holmes has been a big part of what the Rams are doing, first joining the organization as a PR intern when they were still in St. Louis. Not only is he significantly involved in the draft process, but he has also been at the forefront of the organization’s social justice work in recent years.
While it is tough to see him leave, the Rams will be receiving some draft compensation because of the NFL’s new rule for minority hires:
Lions get the general manager they wanted…and the Rams now will become the first team to receive two third-round compensatory draft picks as part of the NFL's new hiring initiatives. https://t.co/BTk1zsjRne
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 14, 2021
The Rams don’t have a first-round pick again in 2021, so receiving a pair of third-rounders is actually huge for the organization. They have drafted key players such as Tyler Higbee, Cooper Kupp, John Johnson III and Josh Reynolds in the third round in recent years.
As for Holmes, he will have the tough task of turning around a Lions franchise that went 5-11 in 2020 and hasn’t had much success in recent years. His first task will be hiring a new head coach to replace Matt Patricia, who was fired in the middle of last season.
