Los Angeles Rams trade draft bust Greg Robinson to Lions
When the Los Angeles Rams (then the St. Louis Rams) went on the clock with the second pick of the 2014 NFL draft, they could have thrown a dart at the board and probably found a future Pro Bowler.
Khalil Mack. Jake Matthews. Mike Evans. Odell Beckham Jr. In just three seasons, 13 members of the 2014 first round have made a Pro Bowl. The Rams still screwed it up.
They drafted offensive tackle Greg Robinson with that No. 2 overall pick. After three horrible seasons, the Rams admitted defeat and traded Robinson to the Detroit Lions, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter. The Rams got back a 2018 sixth-round pick for the guy they drafted second overall three years ago.
While it’s easy to rip the Rams for the pick in retrospect, nobody argued at the time with the Robinson pick. He was a dominant player at Auburn, then impressed everyone with an amazing workout at the scouting combine. Nobody would have criticized the Rams had they drafted Mack, last season’s NFL defensive player of the year, but Robinson seemed like a fine pick too. He wasn’t.
Robinson started 42 games over three seasons, mostly at a left tackle. He never looked comfortable there. The Rams had to give 35-year-old Andrew Whitworth a three-year deal worth more than $33 million to replace Robinson. The Rams decided to not pick up Robinson’s fifth-year option and move him to guard, then decided to just move on completely when someone offered them a late pick.
The 2014 draft will go down as one of the better classes in recent history. The Rams somehow ended up with a bust at No. 2.
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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
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