NFL draft: Rams take Washington State OLB Brennan Jackson in 5th round

HERMOSA BEACH — Brennan Jackson kept his circle tight as he waited to learn his fate on the third down of the NFL draft. He sat in a home in his hometown of Temecula with his parents, grandparents, fiancé, her family and select friends.

When the Washington State edge rusher’s phone rang, he clutched the watch bequeathed to him by his late grandfather as he answered. On the other end was his hometown team, the Rams, calling to bring him home to Southern California with the 154th overall pick in the fifth round.