The Rams have traded away their draft picks for years. They won last year's Super Bowl because they traded for a qb after giving up the farm for the rights to draft Goff not all that long ago. The Rams are the favorite to win the NFC again this year.
A few years ago, Tampa Bay was 7 and 9 w/a qb who turned the ball over too much. They signed Brady and won the Super Bowl the very next year. They lost last year in a thriller to the eventual SB champs are in considered in the top 3 favorites in the NFC this year.
The Times They Are A-Changin'
I won't disagree with you on this point, but the Rams are an anomaly. They have been very good at getting players in latter rounds that have made major contributions. The first round picks have been replaced with 2nd-4th round picks that have played at a first round talent at the pro level.
Foundation players:
All Pros;
Aaron Donald, 1st round pick
Cooper Kupp, 3rd round pick
Major contributors;
Van Jefferson, 2nd round pick
Entire starting offensive line chosen in rounds 2-5
Tyler Higbee round 4
David Long round 3
Jordan Fuller round 6
Nick Scott round 7
Greg Gaines round 4
All of these players were contributing prior to Stafford coming in.
Now they will ask even more of Cam Akers round 2, Earnest Jones round 3, Darrell Henderson round 3, to contribute more as starters and major relief players.
Not many teams have that kind of starting power at t the level the Rams play at, found in the later rounds. They are either lucky, or have one of the best scouting departments in the business.
Hopefully we have that kind also, but we are relying on a lot more 1st rounders to bring our level of play close to the Rams.
5 of our starters are 1st round draft picks, of the rest of the 22 starters, only 9 are Browns draft picks compared to 14 on the Rams. Of those 9, 5 are from the 2nd round and 2 are from the 3rd. That means the Browns have found 2 players in the draft in rounds 4-7 worthy of starting. I'm not sure we have the same scouting department as the Rams.
Teams have to work with the tools they have. Just because one team was successful doing it one way, doesn't mean that is easy to emulate.
Oh... and we had another 1st rounder on the team that has been starting for the last 4 years...He was replaced by the guy we are now discussing. Ability wise, good move. Watson is a obvious upgrade, availability is a whole other story and availability goes a long way toward ability. We will see. Maybe the judge will give him no suspension and those that don't care about the sexual misconduct might see success in using a person like him to gain that success. Others will still follow the team, but with much less enthusiasm, while others will be gone completely. Not because of their love of the Browns is gone, but because the way the ownership chose to run the team overpowered their ability to morally support them.
