Sean McVay leaves little doubt just how badly he wanted rookie weapon the Los Angeles Rams paid a price for

The Los Angeles Rams drafted a running back for the eighth straight year, selecting Auburn back Jarquez Hunter after a trade up in the fourth round. While nobody is outright surprised that the Rams selected Hunter, I'm not sure many anticipated the Rams would trade up for him, but the Rams made it clear how much they loved Hunter. 

In a behind-the-scenes video the Rams released surrounding the 2025 NFL Draft war room, the team revealed just how excited head coach Sean McVay was to bring Hunter to Los Angeles.

"There is no question that’s who I want...I didn’t think we’d be able to get him today unless we did that. I didn’t think we’d be able to get him. That was my top player for today."

The Rams had to orchestrate a trade up for Hunter, sending a fourth-rounder (#127) and a sixth-rounder (#190) to the Indianapolis Colts to move up from 127 to 117 to select Hunter. 

While they didn't show any snippets as to why the Rams coveted Hunter so much, it's evident why they wanted him. Hunter was a consistent big-play threat for the Tigers in college. Hunter finished the 2024 college season ranked 12th in the nation on 20+ yard runs, and his 27 rushes of 20+ yards since 2022 rank ninth among all rushers in college football over that time. His five runs of 50 or more yards since 2022 rank tied for fifth in the nation.

It's unclear just how much of a role the rookie will have this year, as Kyren Williams will still likely have the lead role, and they will still want last year's third-round pick, Blake Corum, to prove himself. However, Hunter will still be in the rotation and should be an alternative on early downs for the Rams to lean on.