NFL Draft expert gives insight to what Rams should do in first round

NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah provides insight to Rams draft before the NFL Combine next week

The NFL Draft process is fully underway as the college all-star games such as the Senior Bowl and Shrine Bowl have each taken place and the NFL Combine is next week. For a second consecutive year, the Los Angeles Rams will have a first-round pick as they look to build on a strong year. While the Rams will look to have another good draft, this may not be as strong of a class as recent years. NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah sat down with the media on Thursday and described it as a ‘starters draft’. “Maybe you don’t have that super star that we have had in years past,” said Jeremiah. “But we do have a boatload of starters, particularly the defensive line.”

Jeremiah answered questions for nearly three hours, but here were the prime takeaways, specifically when it comes to the Rams.

The Best Option Might Be a Trade Back

Currently the Rams sit at 26 which might be considered a bit of a dead zone in the draft. It may be possible to find good starters and contributors in that area, but there may not be the difference-maker. With the lack of value in that spot, trading out of that pick is going to be a popular perceived direction for the Rams and General managed Les Snead should take. Said Jeremiah,

“Les has done such a good job in that range, so getting out of there and collecting extra picks, I’m all for that, especially when you kind of look at the direction that they could be looking. There’s still a need for corners, receivers. They could pluck a tight end. That’s good position groups there on day 2. If they were to slide back a little bit and collect some more resources there, I’ve got a lot of respect and appreciation for their ability to scout and find guys there. That would definitely make sense to me.”

The big question is whether or not the Rams would be able to find a trade partner. If that area is perceived as part of a ‘dead zone’ and there isn’t a first round quarterback worth trading up for in that spot. As Jeremiah noted, I haven’t been able to find that buzz out there for someone who is a quarterback who teams would want to get at the bottom of one.”

While the Rams may want to trade back, finding a trade partner may be easier said than done. With that said, Jeremiah stated a few times that, “there’s not a lot of depth of starting tackle caliber players in this draft.” If a team needs a starting caliber left tackle, the bottom of round one with players such as Josh Conerly Jr. and Joshua Simmons may be the last chance to do it. Said Jeremiah,

“The one thing I would keep an eye on is if you have some teams with tackle needs, depending on what happens with the Ravens with Ronnie Stanley, they could be one that could potentially move up…I would say keep an eye on the offensive tackle market and maybe that could drive some movement”

This is part of what makes it so important for the Rams to bring back Alaric Jackson. At the very least, they know what Jackson is going to give them on a week-to-week basis. Taking a rookie offensive tackle in this class is a huge risk. Conerly isn’t a perfect prospect and Simmons has an injury history. If the Rams can bring back Jackson, that gives them more of an option to trade back in that area.

The Rams-Stafford Situation ‘Has a Lot of Personnel Departments Intrigued’

A big turning point in the offseason is going to be what happens with the Rams and quarterback Matthew Stafford. The two sides are meeting in Indianapolis at the NFL Combine next week. That will very likely be the meeting that determines whether or not Stafford is back in Los Angeles. If the two sides can’t get a deal done, they could start looking at orchestrating a trade. Said Jeremiah on the situation,

“I know that it has a lot of people in personnel departments and general managers intrigued and seeing what’s going to transpire there with him and the Rams. The fact that they didn’t just come out and say he’s not going anywhere has led people to believe that’s a possibility.”

Both sides should understand that the best path forward is together. Unfortunately, that’s not always enough in the NFL. There’s been a lot of noise recently, some of which has most definitely been used as leverage during negotiations. This will be a situation to monitor over the next few weeks.

Why Darius Alexander is a Fit for the Rams

In Daniel Jeremiah’s most recent mock draft, he had the Rams going with a surprise pick at 26 with Toledo’s Darius Alexander on the defensive line. The 26th overall pick may be a little rich for Alexander, at the same time, in a trade back situation he would be a great target.

There seems to be a narrative that the Rams don’t have a need defensive line. However, if Bobby Brown doesn’t return, they lose a starter and potentially two depth pieces in Larrell Murchison and Neville Gallimore.

This isn’t to say that Tyler Davis couldn’t slot into that role. At the same time, adding another difference-maker at that spot wouldn’t be a bad idea. Jeremiah praised the Rams as, “the best young defensive line in the NFL.”

The Rams had three first-round picks on the defensive line when they drafted Aaron Donald. A primary goal in the draft is to select good players and Alexander is a good player. He also fits exactly what the Rams look for at the position. Said Jeremiah,

“Just in terms of body type, like range, explosive, that’s kind of what the Rams have got a bunch of explosive defenders, and they’ve added to that bunch…You just go get another twitchy, explosive, dynamic guy. If you see the words violent, explosive, twitchy over and over again, like looking for vets, those are the guys that I think you want because that’s what we just saw win the Super Bowl. That’s why I had that fit there.”

Alexander had a great week in Mobile at the Senior Bowl and the Rams need a run-stopping defensive lineman. The Toledo defensive lineman ranked third via PFF last season against the run. That’s not to say that the Rams shouldn’t also look for a bigger body along the defensive line. However, Alexander would also be a good fit and provide the Rams exactly what they need alongside Kobie Turner and Braden Fiske.

If the Rams don’t go defensive line, Jeremiah thought that wide receiver would also make sense for them, mentioning specifically Emeka Egbuka as a good fit.

If he were to get there, that one makes sense, he’d be a great fit. For somebody that wants plug and play for a team that’s ready to win right now. And I would say the same for Matthew golden. Those would be guys I love for the Rams.”

It will be interesting to see what the Rams do in the first round, but they will have plenty of options with a lot of flexibility. This isn’t a roster that’s going to be pigeon-holed into a position.

Other Notes

• Daniel Jeremiah put Michigan Colston Loveland in the ‘Travis Kelce’ mold at tight end.

“When you look at Loveland, it’s a little more Kelce, it’s a little more option routes, getting in and out of breaks, a little more fluid and someone who can make you miss after the catch, but not quite as physical a player there as you have there with Tyler Warren.”

• Will the NFL let happen to Cooper DeJean happen to Jahdae Barron?

“I’m higher on Barron than just about every team I’ve talked to. I love the way that he plays. I just do. This is what I’ve said to teams…The league collectively blew it on Cooper DeJean and let him fall to the second round. Is this going to happen again? Are we going to let Barron fall because we’re not going to give credit to someone who is going to be on the field the whole game as someone who is going to be a nickel or going to play in that different role, he can play and be your dime linebacker, your nickel? I think he could survive outside if you needed him to. That’s not going to be where his specialty is, but somebody that is a sure tackler, that has instincts, that takes the football away, that’s an outstanding blitzer, and I look at the teams that are in the playoffs and guys that can fill that role, can play that role for teams…I think there’s value to it. I think he’s a great player. I don’t necessarily understand the lack of value there for him around the league, but I guess we’ll have to see what shakes out there.”

• It’s not a good off-ball linebacker class.

“When you look at linebackers, it’s not a great off the ball linebacker year…I like Chris Paul Jr. from Ole Miss. Maybe third round. Cody Simons, same, out of Ohio State. Jeffrey Bassa, Oregon, Barrett Carter, Clemson. That group of guys to me is in that third round range.”

• Who are the “big, x-receivers’ in the Draft?

“Trey Harris from Ole Miss, Jayden Higgins from Iowa State, Jack Bech from TCU — all those guys are big. Trey Harris is almost 6’2”. Higgins is almost 6’4”. Jack Bech, 6’1” and a quarter, 214 pounds. Those guys are all kind of in that range of the draft…All those guys are big. All those guys can make plays down the field. All those guys are going to work out well in the red zone. They’re going to be point producers. That’s a good clump of wideouts that I think would make some sense. If you wanted to go with a little more of the compact, explosive player in that mix, but to me you look at Jaylin Noel from Iowa State who is going to put on a show at the combine. He is really, really explosive. He can play inside. I think even as an undersized player, he could play outside.”