First-Pick Mock Draft

[shopson67]

Another different route, waiting at Edge for two guys that probably won't be available that late lol.

• 36. Darnell Washington, TE Georgia
• 69. Antonio Johnson, S Texas A&M
• 77. Matthew Bergeron, OT Syracuse
• 167. Dorian Williams, LB Tulane
• 171. Charles Jones, WR Purdue
• 177. Dorian Thompson-Robinson, QB UCLA
• 182. Jarrett Patterson, OC Notre Dame
• 189. Riley Moss, CB Iowa
• 191. YaYa Diaby, EDGE Louisville
• 223. Jose Ramirez, EDGE Eastern Michigan
• 234. Evan Hull, RB Northwestern

 

[Battlelyon]

 

[Battlelyon]

Jim Everett is hearing QB Clayton Tune on the 3rd day

 

[Battlelyon]

I'm thinking this is our guy at 36

 

[shopson67]

I'm thinking this is our guy at 36

Another mini receiver would go over like a lead balloon. Rams have "bigger" needs that early, pun intended.

 

[Battlelyon]

Another mini receiver would go over like a lead balloon. Rams have "bigger" needs that early, pun intended.

I agree, but he just might be the pick

 

[Battlelyon]

TuTu and Ben Ski are free agents after 2024 season. Van Jefferson is a free agent after the 2023 season. Right now the only signed WR for 2025 roster is Cooper Kupp. So WR is becoming a need real quick

 

[shopson67]

TuTu and Ben Ski are free agents after 2024 season. Van Jefferson is a free agent after the 2023 season. Right now the only signed WR for 2025 roster is Cooper Kupp. So WR is becoming a need real quick

It's definitely a need, I just hope they look a little later (and maybe twice, if you include a punt/kick returner). I personally would only want a WR in the 2nd if it's a 1st round projection falling to the Rams. I think Tank's value would be in the 3rd?

 

[Battlelyon]

Analysis

By Lance Zierlein

Draft Projection
Round 2

Overview
Every second of the route is a separation opportunity for Dell, a touchdown-making machine who pairs electrifying top-end speed with twitchy short-area quickness. His routes are fast and effective on all three levels with keen ball-tracking talent deep and sideline-dotting footwork. Focus drops and contested catches are ongoing issues that are likely to continue at the next level. Dell is dangerous with the ball in his hands after the catch and as a game-changing punt returner. His slender frame is a concern, but the explosive talent could be difficult to pass up for teams needing a big-play weapon to stretch the field and mismatch coverages.

Strengths

• Scored 14 touchdowns in his final nine games with Houston.
• Keeps distance from coverage to stay unencumbered in the route.
• Uses jab and crossover to defeat coverage leverage.
• Gives few clues when snapping off the route.
• Very sudden and explosive out of his breaks.
• Able to separate on all three levels.
• Talented to track and adjust paths to make the catch.
• Very nice with his feet near the sideline.
• Catch-and-go punt returner with game-changing ability.

Weaknesses

• Slender frame falls below NFL standards.
• Wasted motion getting into press release.
• Drifts into in-breaking routes.
• Dropped 21 passes over the last two seasons, per PFF.
• Has struggled to secure throws through contact.
• Below average catch radius.

 

[shopson67]

Latest attempt on the PFN simulator (one trade down, pulling a day 3 pick up to 93):

• 39. Zay Flowers, WR Boston College
• 69. Tuli Tuipulotu, EDGE USC
• 77. Matthew Bergeron, OT Syracuse
• 93. Daiyan Henley, LB Washington State
• 167. Garrett Williams, CB Syracuse
• 177. Juice Scruggs, OC Penn State
• 182. Jay Ward, S LSU
• 189. Dante Stills, DT West Virginia
• 191. Payne Durham, TE Purdue
• 223. Tyson Bagent, QB Shepherd
• 234. Evan Hull, RB Northwestern

 

[UVA_Guy81]

This is a mock from the Rams person on The Athletic:
Round 2, No. 53 (from Chicago, via Detroit)

CB Cam Smith, South Carolina

The trade: Detroit was flush with resources to boost its roster in the first round, and then got aggressive to trade up for quarterback Hendon Hooker early in the second. Brad Holmes continues to crush it. (No, the trade doesn’t even out mathematically. In this scenario, using DraftTek, the value discrepancy would be about 42 points. It’s OK, for a quarterback who may eventually be their starter. It’s a mock draft, and I’m mad with power.) Holmes sends Nos. 48 and 81 for No. 36 and 167.

Then, Rams GM Les Snead turns No. 48 into a trade with Chicago, for pick Nos. 53 and 133. This means the Rams still can get two immediate defensive starters, an immediate contributor on offense and also get back into the fourth round, where they find another corner who can compete for time as a rookie.

Smith is tough, technical, anticipatory (great qualities in a sticky match zone) and can switch between man and zone coverages. He’s exactly the type of cornerback prospect the Rams should be looking at to get their defense back to its intended aggressiveness, and with Cobie Durant potentially poised to start as an inside-first (with outside potential) cornerback, Smith seems like a great partner on the outside.

Round 3, No. 69

DL Adetomiwa Adebawore, Northwestern

Adebawore, who is ranked No. 68 on The Athletic’s Dane Brugler’s latest big board, is a total athletic phenom whose traits project into a high ceiling. Having another disruptive player inside with Aaron Donald is an absolute need for the Rams, and the question is, do they find another three-technique with versatility – or lean toward a run-stuffing nose tackle, since they’re currently without one?

Round 3, No. 77

Edge Derick Hall, Auburn

The Rams need at least one pass rusher who can contribute as a rookie, and Hall seems like a good fit here to draw some attention away from Donald. Brugler most recently had Hall going at No. 64, but he has also been projected earlier in the second round and later in the third. Other teams may be drawn to other pass rushers who flash a little more raw potential but are longer-term projects, yet the Rams need a steady instant addition to their defensive line. Another player who could be a solid add here is USC pass-rusher Tui Tuipulotu.

 

[UVA_Guy81]

Round 3, No. 81 (from Detroit)

TE Tucker Kraft, South Dakota State

Tight end is a need for the Rams with veteran Tyler Higbee entering the last year of his contract (even though they acquired Hunter Long via the Jalen Ramsey trade). The third round seems like a sweet spot for where tight ends have landed on the Rams’ internal draft board in recent seasons, and if Kraft is still available, his yards-after-catch ability and versatility are a great fit for McVay’s offense.


Round 4, No. 133 (from Chicago)

CB Garrett Williams, Syracuse

Williams (Brugler’s No. 127th-ranked prospect) can play zone or man coverage, and analysts say he plays with great anticipation and understanding of route combinations. That is a great fit for the Rams’ match-zone scheme, and Williams’ versatility could allow them to mix more coverages with their cornerbacks and play more aggressively. Williams also projects as a tough instigator of contact in the run game.

Williams tore his ACL in October, so his projections are all over the place. His technical ability and traits make me believe several teams could be looking at him in the middle of the third round or a little later, if his medical details check out. If they don’t, I also was interested in Northwestern’s Cameron Mitchell here.

Two cornerbacks is feasible in this draft class because Robert Rochell remains unproven entering his third season, despite all of the excitement the staff had over his traits. Derion Kendrick could absolutely take a step forward in his second season, but with the two players still a question, it wouldn’t hurt to bring in aggressive competition.

Ramsey played five positions for the Rams, who aren’t going to replace that production with just one player.

Round 5, No. 171

C/iOL Alex Forsyth, Oregon

The Rams are backlogged with depth players the staff needs to further evaluate with actual on-field play at most of their offensive line positions, but not at center. Forsyth’s experience and understanding of the position makes up for some of his lesser physical qualities, according to Brugler.

Round 5, No. 177

QB Clayton Tune, Houston

Tune is experienced as a college starter, and scouting reports say he has good leadership qualities. He excels in timing and quick throws in short and intermediate parts of the field but isn’t really known as a deep passer (which is an A-OK fit for a Rams offense with roots in the Kyle Shanahan/McVay tree). He also has mobility, which the Rams haven’t really had much of at quarterback but is an ever-necessary tool in the modern NFL. He seems like a great project player for the staff to develop into a backup who, should he have to enter a game, could be reliable.

 

[UVA_Guy81]

Round 6, No. 182

RB Keaton Mitchell, East Carolina

Many fans understandably would groan at this pick (another undersized offensive player?), but this round is a great spot to do something like that, rather than, um, the second round. I was reading through scouting reports of running backs who could get selected around this area and kept coming back to Mitchell because of how fast he gets going, immediately. If he finds one hole, he’s gone before the rest of the layers of defense against, say, an outside zone run concept can get to the contact point. His size (5 foot 8) would definitely be a concern.

Round 6, No. 189

P Bryce Baringer, Michigan State

A punter! Baringer is known for having a booming, field-flipping leg.

Round 6, No. 191

Edge Andre Carter II, Army

I’m sort of making amends here from projecting Carter much higher (as did many in the draft world) in a mock draft months ago. He’s a developmental prospect with really promising upside, and the Rams have the runway to allow him some opportunity if he can get ready to seize it. They can’t go one-and-done at pass rusher over the next two years, whether that means they’ll acquire more help in the draft or elsewhere.

Round 7, pick No. 223

Anthony Johnson Jr., S, Iowa State

A little depth at the position, considering both projected starters (Jordan Fuller and Quentin Lake) are returning from significant injuries. Johnson has high character traits that mean he could stand out right away on special teams and physical traits that mean he can work his way up – and the Rams have a history with this type of journey.

Round 7, No. 234

WR Justin Shorter, Florida

While the Rams eventually need to figure out where their slot and intermediate production is going to come from in a post-Cooper Kupp world, in the … uh … “shorter” term, they could stand to keep building layers into the intermediate and deep levels with Van Jefferson entering a contract year. Similar to deep threat Tutu Atwell, Shorter probably needs a windup (like play-action) to get him into his best gears. Unlike Atwell, he’s long-framed and seriously tough to disrupt at the catch point, which adds an element to the Rams’ red zone and deeper concepts that they struggled to find with now-traded Allen Robinson and the other players who are still on their roster. In a previous mock draft, I did pair intermediate/yards-after-catch receiver Elijah Higgins to the Rams in this round.

Shorter would compete with one of the Rams’ more intriguing depth players, Lance McCutcheon, to see who could earn valuable red zone and deeper-concept snaps.

Note: I didn’t pick any inside linebackers but feel, since the Rams will also need special-teamers, that could potentially be a strong undrafted free-agent class. The Rams are poised to possibly sign a truly historic UDFA class because they have only 46 players on their roster.

I also didn’t draft a kicker, and here’s why: The Rams haven’t yet picked up a cheap veteran kicker in free agency. To me, that signals they are on the phone with a bunch of promising UDFA kicker prospects, who have the option of choosing where they go if they aren’t drafted. A kicker who sees a wide-open opportunity to make a roster will probably pick the Rams over other teams without a blank space at the position. Which could mean … kicker competition! What a time to be alive.

 

[shopson67]

That Athletic mock fails for me right off the bat. Why would Detroit trade up for a guy like Hooker? Is he any better than Goff? I don't see it.

Did they use a mock draft simulator? Some of those values seem pretty wonky (Adebawore still available in the 3rd - have seen him mocked in the 1st, Carter II in the 6th). I would apply their logic for not picking a kicker to also not pick a punter (or a long snapper for that matter, another special teams need), UDFAs will be fine.

 

[shopson67]

Tried the NFL Mock Draft Database simulator this time:

• 36 Michael Mayer, TE Notre Dame
• 69 Derick Hall, EDGE Auburn
• 77 Trenton Simpson, LB Clemson
• 167 Parker Washington, WR Penn State
• 171 Jaylon Jones, CB Texas A&M
• 177 Braeden Daniels, IOL Utah
• 182 Carter Warren, OT Pittsburgh
• 189 Kobie Turner, DL Wake Forest
• 191 Daniel Scott, S California
• 223 Mohamed Ibrahim, RB Minnesota
• 234 Tyson Bagent, QB Shepherd