Stats Doctor: Facts We Learned About the Rams in the Draft

Three Facts We Learned About the Rams in the Draft

From Stats Doctor

http://www.101sports.com/2015/05/04/three-facts-we-learned-about-the-rams-in-the-draft/

The Rams made plenty of noise and turned more than a few heads with their selections in the 2015 NFL Draft.

Jeff Fisher and Les Snead’s first round selection of running back Todd Gurley isn’t one many saw coming, with St. Louis desperately needing to plug gaps on their offensive line.

Surprises came further into the Draft as well, though.

Now that the spectacle is behind us, we’re able to break down the statistics and have fun with the numbers.

The stats below might not lead to a winning season. They’re fun to read, though.

The Rams Really Like Drafting Running Backs

– The Rams have selected a running back with more than one-third of their first round picks in franchise history (33 out of 97 selections), despite the NFL trending away from first round selections at the position.

– Prior to drafting Todd Gurley with pick No. 10, Steven Jackson marked the most recent first round running back taken by the Rams in 2004. One year later, there were three running backs (Ronnie Brown, Cedric Benson, and Cadillac Williams) chosen in the first five picks of the entire Draft.

– The Rams have held the tenth pick in the Draft 10 times, taking a running back with that selection six times, most recently Hall of Famer Jerome Bettis in 1993.

The Rams Have a Hot/Cold Thing Going with the SEC

– The Gurley draft marks the third time in the last four drafts that the Rams have chosen a player from the SEC in the first round. Prior to that, it had been 17 years since an SEC player (Kevin Carter in 1995 from Florida) had been a first round pick.

– The last time the Rams took an SEC running back in the first round was all the way back in 1969 when they chose Florida’s Larry Smith.

– Todd Gurley became the 15th Rams pick from Georgia, but only the fifth in the last 55 years. Gurley is just the third Rams selection from UGA to be chosen in the top three rounds, joining Alec Ogletree (Round 1 in 2013) and Charlie Britt (Round 3 in 1960).

The Rams Have Numbers on Their Side

– Not counting Gurley, there have been only three running backs selected with the tenth pick in the last 50 years; Jerome Bettis, Marcus Allen, and Keith Byars. Two of those selections (Bettis and Allen) are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.No pressure, Todd Gurley.

– 14 of the 16 Hall of Fame running backs selected in the first round were among the first ten selections in the draft.

– The Rams selected Oregon State quarterback Sean Mannion at number 89, and hadn’t chosen at that place since selecting Missouri linebacker Jeff Gaylord in 1982. Notable number 89 picks include Paul Krause, Bill Parcells, Terrell Owens, Roy Green, and Lorenzo Neal.