RAMS : Humphery Thinks That the Deal Was a Steal
The Rams’ apparent shrewdness in dealing for New York Jet cornerback Bobby Humphery on draft day won’t be clearly defined until he lines up against Jerry Rice next fall.
But for now, the Rams are all smiles. The word steal made the rounds in conversations Monday, and at least one team called to congratulate the Rams on their heist.
Humphery himself couldn’t believe the Rams’ good fortune.
“I look at it as a steal,” he said. “I think I possess a lot. I think they’re getting a good talent who can contribute. I want to do that more than anything.”
Trading their fifth-round pick for Humphery on Sunday saved the Rams from two otherwise ordinary days of drafting.
Coach John Robinson had asked his coaching staff to evaluate and rate every cornerback in the league, then break them down into categories. The Rams weren’t looking for a superstar, just a competent veteran they might obtain for one trade-ready tailback, Greg Bell.
“We put the elite corners in one category, and then the others,” Robinson explained. “He was the top of our others list, which means we may not know what we’re talking about. But we certainly exhausted the film.”
By getting Humphery with a fifth-round choice, the Rams were able to save Bell for another trading day.
Humphery sentiment in Anaheim was predictably one-sided. Word out of New York would have you believe that the 28-year-old Humphery has left his best days, and too many opposing receivers, behind him.
Interestingly, Humphery was beaten on a 43-yard scoring pass, Jim Everett to Flipper Anderson, in a late-season game against the Rams last season.
“We had a unanimous feeling on him,” Robinson said. “Sure, there is no one who is traded or put on Plan B that doesn’t have drawbacks.”
Humphery, who had two years remaining on his Jet contract, said the trade caught him by surprise.
“My general reaction was somewhat shocked,” he said. “It wasn’t something I expected. Now that it’s happened--it took me a while to adjust--now I’m kind of glad. I’m going to a team with intentions of going to the Super Bowl.”
Why was Humphery expendable?
“That’s a good question,” he said. “I didn’t know I was expendable until the trade happened. I guess I was expendable because they wanted to go with younger guys. Maybe there were some things that they felt I couldn’t do. I don’t know.”
A capsule summary of second-day draft picks:
Round 6--Tim Stallworth, wide receiver, Washington State. He’s John Stallworth’s cousin, so he has the right genes. Missed three games his senior year because of arthroscopic knee surgery and still finished the season with 30 catches for 548 yards and five touchdowns. Finished college career with 125 catches for 2,250 yards and 16 touchdowns.
Round 7--Kent Elmore, punter, Tennessee. Averaged 42.2 yards a punt in college, although dipped to 40.2 his senior season.
Round 8A--Elbert Crawford, center, Arkansas. Plays every position in the line but pass blocking is a question mark.
Round 8B--Ray Savage, linebacker, Virginia. Tough, but short at only 6 feet. Ram scouts compare his size to Mel Owens, not his talent.
Other draftees: Round 10, The Rams finished the draft by taking defensive end Stephen Bates, defensive end, James Madison; 11, Bill Goldberg, nose tackle, Georgia; 12, David Lang, running back, Northern Arizona.
