Los Angeles general manager Les Snead was a tight end at Auburn in 1992 and 1993. But until Saturday, the Eufaula native had drafted only two Auburn players in his 14 years of running the Rams’ annual player selections.
On Saturday, Los Angeles chose Auburn running back Jarquez Hunter at No. 117 in the NFL Draft. Hunter became the team’s first pick from Auburn since the St. Louis Rams selected offensive tackle Greg Robinson at No. 2 and running back Tre Mason at No. 75 in the 2014 draft.
Rams coach Sean McVay said Los Angeles found a lot to like about Hunter.
“You look at just the way that this guy played the game at a high level in an incredibly competitive conference,” McVay said, “with a lot of guys that were drafted and are playing on Sundays. He’s got the ability to go through you or to be able to run away from you. We got a chance to spend a little bit of time with him as a coaching staff on a Zoom call. He had a great demeanor about himself. But when you put the film on, he lights up and you can really feel his ability to have a recall and it means something to him. His security to be able to accept coaching and take accountability for some things that maybe he could improve upon.
“I think that the competitive stamina that you see, the production – you talk to a lot of coaches in that league that you have tremendous respect for, the way that they spoke about Jarquez and going against him and what he meant to that football team and the competitiveness that he really displayed. And he can hit home runs for you, too. You give him a vertical seam, he’s got the ability to run away from you. Some of the metrics that we have on him are really impressive. …
“So we were excited about him, and, obviously, Les and his group had a real appreciation for him. And then once the coaches laid eyes on him, there was collective buy-in.”
After running for 1,201 yards and eight touchdowns on 187 carries in 2024, including a 278-yard outburst in a 24-10 victory over Kentucky on Oct. 26, Hunter pushed himself to fourth on Auburn’s all-time rushing list with 3,371 rushing yards.
Kyren Williams anchors the Rams’ running game after consecutive 1,000-yard seasons. He had 1,299 yards and 14 touchdowns on 316 carries in 2024. No other Los Angeles player had more than 58 carries, a stat that was true for only three other NFL teams last season.
“I texted Kyren how excited I am for (Hunter) to be able to get a chance to learn from him and be around him,” McVay said. “And you talk about the epitome of a pro’s pro, the way he goes about his business day in and day out. It’s the same thing: He’ll get a chance to see how Blake Corum moves. Ronnie Rivers, how does he do his thing? Cody Schrader going into his second year.”
Hunter said he is eager to learn from the Rams’ veteran ball-carriers.
“I feel like they did a really good job running the ball in LA,” Hunter said. “I feel like they’re really good running backs. I feel like me coming into the room, they can help me a lot, and I can add something to the running-back room.”
Hunter’s first work with the Rams will come at rookie minicamp next month before he joins the veteran players in Los Angeles’ offseason program.