Rams second-round pick Isaiah Pead looks more like a change-of-pace or third-down back than a feature NFL runner. Pead goes 5-foot-10, 197. Most draftniks characterize Pead as a slashing scatback with punt return value.
The Rams used the 50th overall pick in the draft to land him, however, and they likely wouldn’t have used such a high selection on a guy who might get only five or six offensive touches per game.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on SportsCenter early Monday that Pead is viewed as the “successor” to aging Rams starter Steven Jackson. Per Schefter, Pead was “coveted” around the league and would not have lasted on the draft board much longer after the 50th pick.
Our best guess is that Pead will ultimately need to be paired with a power runner in a multiple-back rotation. But it’s also worth wondering whether Rams coach Jeff Fisher may have spotted some Chris Johnson in Pead’s game. Johnson’s 2008 Combine weigh-in was 5-foot-11, 197, nearly identical to Pead’s. Like Pead, most draft prognosticators pigeonholed Johnson as a scatback coming out of college.
Johnson was Fisher’s first-round pick in the 2008 draft.