The LA Rams have drafted at 52 once before — how did it go?
By Jason Reed
The LA Rams’ first selection in the 2020 NFL Draft is with the 52nd overall pick, a pick location that the team has only ever had once before.
The LA Rams do not have a pick in the first round of the NFL Draft for the fourth season in a row as the team traded both its 2020 and 2021 first-round pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars for Jalen Ramsey.
Despite missing the playoffs, the Rams did not have all that bad of a season, either, so their draft position is not the best. The Rams finished 2019 with a 9-7 record, the 19th-worst in the league. As a result, the 52nd pick is the Rams’ first selection in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Throughout the history of the franchise, the LA Rams have only selected with the 52nd overall pick one other time — coming in the 2007 NFL Draft. And if history tells us anything, it is that the 52nd overall pick might not be a good one for the franchise.
The LA Rams’ lone 52nd overall pick selection: Brian Leeonard, FB, Rutgers
Yes, the LA Rams drafted a fullback with a second-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. While that would absolutely not happen in 2020 simply because the fullback is not as prominent as it once was, it still could be a good pick for the time, right?
Well, the Rams may have proven in this draft that selecting a fullback this early is probably not the smartest move, as Brian Leonard did not perform to the level that a team hopes a second-round pick would perform to.
Leonard’s tenure on the Rams lasted all of two seasons. He appeared in all 16 games for the Rams in 2007, starting three, while carrying the ball 86 times for 303 yards. He did not score a touchdown and was often uses in short-yardage situations.
Leonard only played two games in 2008 and required surgery on both of his shoulders. He would never see a snap for the Rams again, as the team traded him to the Cincinnati Bengals for Orien Harris.
Leonard spent for seasons with the Bengals, one year with the Buccaneers and one year with the Saints. He never found the endzone as a rusher in his NFL career with his lone touchdown being a receiving touchdown. He also never rushed for more than 200 yards after his rookie season.
The Rams also missed out on five-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro center, Ryan Kalil, who was drafted seven picks later by the Carolina Panthers.
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If the 52nd overall pick has the same kind of impact on the Rams that Leonard did then the team is going to be in a whole lot of trouble moving forward.