The 2022 NFL Draft got underway on Thursday night with the first round, although one team that hasn’t gotten in on the action yet is the Los Angeles Rams.
The Rams once again did not have a first-round pick after trading it to the Detroit Lions in the Matthew Stafford deal last offseason.
So with that, Sean McVay and Les Snead watched the draft from their fancy rented mansion in L.A., taking in the craziness that ensued just like everybody else.
Towards the end of the night, McVay and Snead held a press conference to discuss everything that happened and their plans for Days 2 and 3. While that was going on, the New England Patriots made a surprise pick by drafting Chatanooga offensive lineman Cole Strange with the No. 29 overall pick.
Strange was projected to go in the second or third round, so McVay and Snead expressed shock with the Patriots taking him that early, which led to this hilarious exchange, via Andrew Siciliano of NFL Network:
Rams reaction to Patriots selection of Cole Strange at #29.
This is hysterical. pic.twitter.com/ADzqt4lizQ
— Andrew Siciliano (@AndrewSiciliano) April 29, 2022
Snead went on to explain what the Rams liked about Strange, via Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic:
“This is what’s fun!” said Snead, diverging into a tangent. “U-T Chattanooga. What jumped off the screen is when he takes a first step, it’s about as quick a first step as an offensive lineman can take.”
While many took the video as the Rams brass laughing at the Patriots for taking Strange so early, it was actually quite the opposite as they were laughing at themselves for thinking they had a chance to draft the offensive lineman in the third round.
This exchange perhaps did give some insight into what the Rams will be looking for in the third round as interior offensive line is a clear need they will be trying to address.
The Rams lost one of their starting guards in Austin Corbett this offseason and perhaps were looking at Strange as a potential replacement. Now that he is off the board though, the Rams will have to look elsewhere when their first pick rolls around towards the end of the third round.
