Before becoming the Green Bay Packers’ head coach, Matt LaFleur served as Sean McVay’s first offensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams. As they, along with Les Snead, embarked on a new era of Rams football, the 2017 NFL Draft became a crucial moment in shaping the team’s future.
At that time, the Rams were striving to revitalize a franchise that had endured a playoff drought stretching back over a decade to the Mike Martz era. McVay and LaFleur aimed to find pieces to elevate their offense and evaluate the potential of quarterback Jared Goff, whom the Rams had selected without a first-round pick in this draft due to a previous trade.
The Rams already possessed offensive weapons such as Todd Gurley, newly acquired Robert Woods, and a strong offensive line featuring Andrew Whitworth, Rodger Saffold, John Sullivan, and Rob Havenstein.
While the Rams’ 2017 draft, which included players like Gerald Everett, John Johnson III, Josh Reynolds, and Samson Ebukam, is considered successful, LaFleur recently revealed his initial reaction to one particular pick.
Los Angeles Rams: Matt LaFleur Didn’t Want Cooper Kupp
In an interview on “Bussin’ With The Boys,” LaFleur shared with NFL veterans Taylor Lewan and Will Compton his initial disappointment with the Rams’ selection of Cooper Kupp with the 69th overall pick. LaFleur stated, “We’ve drafted players that I haven’t been really excited about, two years down the line, I was ecstatic about, and I’d be like…man.”
He added, “We drafted Cooper Kupp, and I thought we needed a speed receiver. It didn’t take long before I realized I was like … I’m glad we got Cooper Kupp, because he was a baller. And I know that makes me look like an idiot, because how couldn’t you see that Cooper Kupp was going to be what he’s what he’s become?”
This experience, however, underscores the ability of Snead and McVay to identify a player’s potential beyond initial impressions. It also helps explain the Rams’ success in the draft during the McVay era, demonstrating that there are layers to coaching and drafting in the NFL.
The article concludes by contrasting the Rams’ drafting success with the Green Bay Packers’ struggles to replace Davante Adams. While acknowledging the absence of any animosity between McVay and LaFleur (noting LaFleur’s playoff victory over McVay), it suggests that if McVay were to win a title with Adams, it would further illustrate the complexities of evaluating talent in the NFL.
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