Rams Choose Isaiah Battle In Supplemental Draft

The St. Louis Rams' quest to add young talent to their offensive line continued Thursday when they used a fifth-round supplemental draft choice on former Clemson tackle Isaiah Battle.

Battle is the fifth offensive lineman the Rams have spent a draft choice on this year after they used four picks on the line in this year's NFL draft. The Rams now forfeit their fifth-round choice in the 2016 NFL draft.

Battle is the first player taken in the supplemental draft since the Cleveland Browns selected receiver Josh Gordon in 2012 and becomes the 43rd player selected since the supplemental draft began. He's also the first supplemental choice made by the Rams since they moved to St. Louis in 1995.

"We felt it was an opportunity to get an earlier round value for a later round price," Rams general manager Les Snead said in a statement. "He's going to practice what would've been his final year of college eligibility with us, go through our offseason program, and then start his rookie season a year from now. This will allow us to bring him along gradually both on and off the field. Now it's up to Isaiah and us to go work to reach his potential as a person and player."

The 6-foot-6, 312-pound Battle played left tackle for the Tigers, starting 11 games in 2014 and appearing in 27 in his three-year career. There, he earned a reputation for his run-blocking, as Clemson averaged 4.5 yards per carry running to the left versus 4 up the middle and 4.1 to the right, according to ESPN Stats & Information.