For months, the Los Angeles Rams were expected to consider using their first pick in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft on a wide receiver, and the one player that was arguably linked to the team the most was JuJu Smith-Schuster out of USC. When looking at all of the struggles surrounding the offense in 2016, it was no secret how desperate the Rams were entering the offseason to add another playmaker to the passing game.
With the 44th overall pick following a decision to trade down with the Buffalo Bills, Los Angeles decided to give head coach Sean McVay another pass-catching tight end to work with in Gerald Everett, leaving any chance of acquiring Smith-Schuster taking place in the third round.