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49ers vs. Rams: Who won the 2020 NFC West offseason battle?

By Jaymie Cybulski

Head coaches Sean McVay of the Los Angeles Rams and Kyle Shanahan of the San Francisco 49ers (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
Head coaches Sean McVay of the Los Angeles Rams and Kyle Shanahan of the San Francisco 49ers (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) /
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South Carolina Gamecocks, Javon Kinlaw, 49ers
Javon Kinlaw, South Carolina Gamecocks (Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images) /

49ers vs. Rams: 2020 NFL Draft

The NFL Draft is always interesting. The teams do their homework on college players who they hope will pan out in the NFL. The draft is always a game of chance because a lot of these incoming players do not pan out the way the teams want. It is always curious to see where a team will select a player.

Both the Rams and 49ers had a limited amount of picks at the beginning of the draft, notably after trading away draft capital to bring aboard established veteran talent, such as Trent Williams.

Let’s look and see who had a better draft.

The Rams had two second-round picks, two third-round picks, one fourth-round pick, one sixth-round pick, and three seventh-round picks. Picks in Rounds 4 through 7 are chance picks, and the hope is the players have a lot of potential to overcome reasons why they slip so deep. Most teams want their early picks to be their superstars. Running back Cam Akers and wide receiver Van Jefferson are intended to bolster head coach Sean McVay’s offense, while linebacker Terrell Lewis and safety Terrell Burgess are pegged to reinforce some of Los Angeles’ offensive losses.

All four players were selected by L.A. in Rounds 2 and 3, and the Rams did a solid job with their second- and third-round picks and are just hoping that they pay off.

The 49ers had two first-round picks. This is huge, and with trading DeForest Buckner, they got an extra first-round pick in addition to the Niners’ own selection late in Round 1. First, the 49ers picked Javon Kinlaw and then wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. Both of these players have a lot of potential, and head coach Kyle Shanahan is hoping they break out and have fantastic rookie seasons. They made some interesting picks later in the draft, mostly for depth purposes, but these two are who the Niners are hoping will contribute to the team for a long time.

I think that both of the teams are even in this section of the offseason. They both made some solid picks, good and safe moves.