Redrafting the Los Angeles Rams’ 2017 NFL Draft

Second Round:

• Original pick: Gerald Everett, TE, South Alabama

• New pick: JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR, USC

I know, I said that we wouldn’t be selecting just the best player in every round, but it is hard to [ass up on JuJu Smith-Schuster after the year he had with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Smith-Schuster was fantastic alongside Antonio Brown in the Steelers passing offense and would have been a huge offensive weapon in the Los Angeles Rams great pass attack.

Gerald Everett was not bad for the Rams last year, he simply had nowhere near the same impact that Smith-Schuster could have had with the team. Everett made 16 receptions for 244 yards and two touchdowns. Quite frankly, with so many other options in the passing game, Everett was an afterthought. However, he did make an impact in the run game, so that is something.

Smith-Schuster, on the other hand, put together one of the best seasons by a rookie receiver last year. The product of USC played in 14 games, making 58 receptions for 917 yards and seven touchdowns.

While he definitely benefited from Ben Roethlisberger and Brown, Smith-Schuster would have had the same sort of help on the Rams. Jared Goff played out of his mind and other passing options such as Robert Woods and Sammy Watkins would have given him the same free reign.

JuJu Smith-Schuster could have far exceeded what Cooper Kupp did in the slot for the Rams last season. With the selection of Smith-Schuster, it also creates a domino effect for the Rams’ third-round pick.