The Rams and Steelers have agreed to a trade that will send Allen Robinson to Pittsburgh after he passes a physical on Wednesday. The return is minimal for Los Angeles, only swapping picks in the seventh round of this year’s draft.
Even as unproductive as Robinson was last year, this move leaves a gaping hole at wide receiver. Cooper Kupp and Van Jefferson will be the top two targets, followed by a group made up of Ben Skowronek, Tutu Atwell and Lance McCutcheon. Not exactly the most inspiring trio.
What the Rams can’t do is reach for a wide receiver in Round 2 for the sake of wanting to replace Robinson. This isn’t a great draft class at the position to begin with and the greater value is later in the draft rather than early in Round 2.
There probably won’t be many great options available at No. 36 anyway. Among the players who could be on the board are Jalin Hyatt, Josh Downs, Jonathan Mingo and Jayden Reed. If the Rams draft any of them with the 36th pick, it would likely be viewed as a reach by fans and analysts.
Even so, we absolutely can’t rule out the Rams taking a wideout with their first pick next week. If Les Snead and Sean McVay have taught us anything over the last six drafts, it’s to expect the unexpected. Atwell didn’t exactly fill a need in 2021 when he was drafted, yet the Rams fell in love with his speed and agility.
One wide receiver who might garner consideration if he’s there at No. 36 is TCU’s Quentin Johnston. He’s a big receiver with excellent leaping ability, giving him a huge catch radius – similar to what the Rams were hoping they’d get from Robinson.
At 6-foot-3 with a 40.5-inch vertical, Johnston can win jump balls and come down with contested catches in the red area. That would at least give Los Angeles a different type of receiver than the ones it already has on the roster.
Johnston is unlikely to be there for the Rams at No. 36 but even if he’s gone, don’t be surprised if Los Angeles takes a different receiver. The Rams have been “closely linked” to Reed and Kayshon Boutte, and according to ESPN, they’ll be “trying to add pass-rushers and pass-catchers” in the draft.
Now that Robinson is on his way out, it makes it even more likely that the Rams will prioritize pass-catchers next week.
