HERMOSA BEACH, Calif. – Rams general manager Les Snead and head coach Sean McVay each met with local media following the end of Day 2 of the 2024 NFL Draft, discussing what went into selecting Florida State's Braden Fiske, Michigan's Blake Corum and Miami's Kamren Kinchens, among other topics.
Here are 3 key takeaways from that conversation:
Florida State-Louisville ACC Championship game from 2023 season sold Rams on Verse-Fiske combo
While it took a few weeks to develop, once the chemistry between Fiske and Jared Verse got going, it became a disruptive force for the Seminoles' defensive front.
Asked what jumped off the tape of the two of them working in combination, Snead pointed to the game between Florida State and Louisville last fall.
"If you're ever bored, go start-to-finish Florida State at Louisville ACC Championship game," Snead said. "... Watch those two players in that game."
Combined, Fiske (3) and Verse (2) accounted for five of the Seminoles' seven sacks in a 16-6 victory over the Cardinals.
Snead said it was "always a thought" to try to reunite the Florida State duo by going up and getting Fiske, going all the way back to during draft meetings during the week of the combine.
The Rams ultimately did by trading up from No. 52 overall and acquiring the No. 39 overall pick from the Panthers. However, hey didn't know if it would be Verse, but got lucky when Verse fell to them at No. 19 overall on Day 1. Then they spent Thursday night and all day Friday attempting to move up.
Corum reminded McVay of Kyren Williams
Part of the appeal in getting Corum, according to McVay, was that he saw similarities between Corum and Kyren Williams.
"One of the things that jumped off is there's a lot of traits that reminded me of Kyren Williams," McVay said. "Obviously I love Kyren and he's been so important, and just the human being, but then also when you just look at the way he works at it, the production and the things that he was able to bring to our offense last year, and even really some of the things that he worked through his rookie year. I think there's a lot of similarities."
McVay also said Williams will be a "great mentor" for Corum.
Kinchens' standout traits
McVay pointed to toughness, range, and the ability to play sideline to sideline as traits he liked with Kinchen's skillset. Additionally:
"At the point of contact, there's no flinch," McVay said. "He's got good ball production."
McVay also noted that there was a lot of appreciation for him from defensive coordinator Chris Shula, safeties coach Chris Beake, and defensive backs coach/pass game coordinator Aubrey Pleasant for Kinchens.
