Coming into the offseason, one of the biggest needs for the Los Angeles Rams was on the defensive line. It was unlikely that Bobby Brown III would be back and this was a defense that at times struggled to fill gaps and stop the run.
While the Rams brought back Larrell Murchison and signed Poona Ford in free agency, it remains a group that could still use some depth. The good news is, this is one of the better and deepest defensive line classes in recent memory.
Heading into the draft process, one of my goals was to try to match my evaluation process relatively close with how the Rams operate. Obviously, it will never be exact without actually being in the room. At the same time, based on the information that is public and matching player traits with what they’ve drafted in the past, it is possible to get a picture of the type of player the Rams draft and what that process looks like.
One of the big changes that I’ve made this year is placing players into “buckets”. The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue called “Finding Rams” which outlined this bucketing process. Said Rodrigue,
“On his screen, which the scouts cannot see, Snead manipulates what he calls “the call sheet” as they discuss prospects. The sheet looks like a series of rectangles that split players by position into different buckets. There are no round-by-round grades, only four overall tiers into which players are then “bucketed.” By mid-April, all draft-eligible players are split into nine buckets based on the Rams’ finished evaluations, which include the medical and character checks completed in March and, for some, notes from Sugarman’s visits. The buckets aren’t always “rankings” — some are lateral to others.”
Those buckets are broken up into nine different categories which are:
- Bucket 1: Math Changer, Total Package
- Bucket 2: Reliable Starter
- Bucket 3: Math Changing Starter, Range of Caution Flags
- Bucket 4: Impactful Contributor, Clean Profile
- Bucket 5: Talented Enough to Contribute, Less Predictable
- Bucket 6: Trustworthy, but Less Talented
- Bucket 7: Late IQ or PQ
- Bucket 8: Major Concerns, Off Board, or Reconsider After Draft
- Bucket 9: Likely Drafted, Not a Rams Fit
These buckets aren’t rankings or necessarily even tiers. It’s simply a way for scouts to easily visualize the role that they see for a player at the next level and a way to define their fit on the roster. Players can be placed into multiple buckets as no single prospect is just one thing. As Rodrigue noted, in Puka Nacua’s case, he would have been a three, five, and seven.
Eventually, I’ll have fit grades and a full Rams big board
I’ll be doing this with every position group outside of quarterback. Today we’re hitting our final position group of the series as we wrap up in the trenches on the defensive line.
Previous Position Groups
Bucket 1: Math Changer, Total Package
- Mason Graham, Michigan
- Walter Nolen, Ole Miss
- Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, Georgia
There may not be a better fit on the defensive line for the Rams than Ole Miss’ Walter Nolen. Combined with his first-step explosiveness and lateral agility, it’s as if he was a tailor-made fit for the Rams attacking front. Nolen is a player that you bet on because of his elite traits and would be ideal as a 3T. As one NFL defensive coach said, “Highest ceiling in the entire draft. Not as big as [Jalen] Carter but has some of his traits.” He needs to improve as a run defender, but the upside is certainly there.
When it comes to the defensive line, the Rams like players that they can mold like a ball of clay. Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins is exactly that. Ingram-Dawkins is a high-upside, moldable athlete with explosiveness and bend to become a serious disruptor inside. He’s a versatile player and more of a tweener type player that can line up all over the defensive front.
Bucket 2: Reliable Starter
- Mason Graham, Michigan
- Warren Brinson, Georgia
- Darius Alexander, Toledo
- Jared Harrison-Hunte, SMU
- Derrick Harmon, Oregon
- Jordan Burch, Oregon
- TJ Sanders, South Carolina
- Ty Robinson, Nebraska
- Jordan Phillips, Maryland
- Shemar Turner, Texas A&M
- Payton Page, Clemson
Coming out of the Senior Bowl, there was a lot of potential first-round buzz surrounding Darius Alexander from Toledo. That seems to have cooled off as Alexander is now seen more as a round two or three player. Still, he’s a good fit for the Rams. Alexander has an explosive first step and the versatility to line up across the defensive front. He’s a violent player and plays with the intensity that the Rams like in their defensive linemen.
Ty Robinson has been one of my favorite defensive linemen in this draft class. Everything he does feels like a Ram. He tested really well at the Combine, especially in the explosiveness testing. Robinson has versatility as a 4i and 3T and his motor is always red hot. He’s the type of tone setter that the Rams need on that side of the ball to go with the current group.
Bucket 3: Math Changing Starter, Range of Caution Flags
- Darius Alexander, Toledo
- Kenneth Grant, Michigan
- Jordan Burch, Oregon
- Omar Norman-Lott, Tennessee
- Shemar Turner, Texas A&M
It’s hard not to like what Tennessee’s Omar Norman-Lott puts on tape. He’s a high-ceiling player with pass rush upside and explosiveness. While likely more of a rotational player early in his career, he has the disruptive traits that the Rams tend to bet on at the position. If he can develop as a run-defender, he could be a fun player to add to the current group.
The Rams have met with Shemar Turner pre-draft and it’s easy to understand why. He fits exactly what they need as a versatile run-defender that can play in multiple gaps and eat space. Turner doesn’t add a lot as a pass rusher, but in the run game, he has a relentless motor and plays with a level of nasty. He’s a player that isn’t afraid to do the dirty work and is very good at it.
Bucket 4: Impactful Contributor, Clean Profile
- Mason Graham, Michigan
- Warren Brinson, Georgia
- Joshua Farmer, Florida State
- Jared Ivey, Ole Miss
- Rylie Mills, Notre Dame
- Tyleik Williams, Ohio State
- Howard Cross III, Notre Dame
- Payton Page, Clemson
- CJ West, Indiana
- Tonka Hemingway, South Carolina
- Cam Horsley, Boston College
- Ty Hamilton, Ohio State
Would the Rams go back to the Florida State pipeline and take Joshua Farmer? Farmer played next to Braden Fiske with the Seminoles back in 2023 and the two remain very close. He has disruption potential in the run game and alignment flexibility to play multiple spots along the defensive front. His technique can be inconsistent, but like Fiske, he’s a high-effort player.
Another one of my favorite defensive line prospects throughout the draft process has been Indiana’s CJ West. The Rams need a player that can line up in the middle of the defensive line and be a run stopper. That’s exactly what West does. Indiana’s average depth on tackle against A-gap runs last season was just 2.11 yards when West was on the field. The next closest team was 2.75. He has the explosive first-step at the snap and plays with physical mindset. While not necessarily a pass-rusher, he does enough to disrupt the pocket.
Bucket 5: Talented Enough to Contribute, Less Predictable
- Walter Nolen, Ole Miss
- Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, Georgia
- Derrick Harmon, Oregon
- Kenneth Grant, Michigan
- Omar Norman-Lott, Tennessee
- Aeneas Peebles, Mississippi
- Vernon Broughton, Texas
- JJ Pegues, Ole Miss
- Tim Smith, Alabama
- Tyler Batty, BYU
- Junio Tafuna, Utah
- Tommy Akingbesote, Maryland
- Deone Walker, Kentucky
- Jahvaree Ritzie, UNC
- Elijah Simmons, Tennessee
Peebles impressed at the Senior Bowl, showing out in one-on-ones and then being a disruptor during team drills. The Mississippi defensive lineman creates chaos at the line of scrimmage as a pass-rusher. Peebles is a little undersized which limits his ability on early downs. However, as third down rotational player, Peebles can make an early impact.
Like Peebles, Pegues is another high-energy disruptor. He’s alignment-versatile and plays with a hot motor. Pegues is still raw and at 24 years old, that’s less than ideal. Still, there are a lot of traits to like here and Pegues remains a player with developmental upside.
Bucket 6: Trustworthy, But Less Talented
- Rylie Mills, Notre Dame
- Cam Horsley, Boston College
- Alfred Collins, Texas
- Ty Hamilton, Ohio State
- Jahmaree Caldwell, Oregon
- Nazir Stackhouse, Georgia
- Eric Gregory, Arkansas
- Zeek Biggers, Georgia Tech
- Jay Toia, UCLA
Collins doesn’t fit the prototypical mold for a Rams defensive lineman, but he also fits a role that they need in terms of their depth at the position. He’s a power-based run defender with size and one of the better gap-control players in the class. Collins is a disciplined run defender with elite point-of-attack strength.
Bucket 7: Late IQ or PQ
- Walter Nolen, Ole Miss
- Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, Georgia
- Kenneth Grant, Michigan
- Omar Norman-Lott, Tennessee
- Joshua Farmer, Florida State
- Vernon Broughton, Texas
- JJ Pegues, Ole Miss
- Junior Tafuna, Utah
- Tommy Akingbesote, Maryland
- Jahvaree Ritzie, UNC
While Mason Graham is rightfully getting a lot of the attention for Michigan defensive linemen, Kenneth Grant is no slouch either. It’s hard to see the Rams taking a nose tackle in the first two rounds, but Grant has explosive power with disruption ability and is an anchor in the run game. He does the dirty work up-front, taking on double teams and helps keep second-level defenders clean.
Vernon Broughton is another Texas defensive lineman worth mentioning in this defensive line group. Broughton doesn’t necessarily have the production and is the forgotten man on the Texas defensive line. He is tweener type player, but has the frame, versatility, and traits worth taking a chance on in the final rounds of the draft.
Bucket 8: Major Concerns, Off Board, or Reconsider After Draft
- Alfred Collins, Texas
- Deone Walker, Kentucky
- Jahmaree Caldwell, Oregon
- Nazir Stackhouse, Georgia
- Zeek Biggers, Georgia Tech
- Cam Jackson, Florida
- Yahya Black, Iowa
Deone Walker’s stock rose so much during the Senior Bowl that he didn’t practice on the final day and didn’t participate in the game. Since then, it’s come back closer to where it was at the beginning of the process. Walker is still a versatile player with the power to disrupt the pocket. At the same time, there are questions about play-to-play effort consistency which may turn a team like the Rams off of him as that is something they value.
Bucket 9: Likely Drafted, Not a Rams Fit
- Mason Graham, Michigan
- Alfred Collins, Texas
- Deone Walker, Kentucky
- Elijah Simmons, Tennessee
- Jamaree Caldwell, Oregon
- Nazir Stackhouse, Georgia
- Zeek Biggers, Georgia Tech
- Cam Jackson, Florida
- Yahya Black, Iowa
Mason Graham is the best defensive tackle in the draft for a reason and he won’t make it outside of the top-five. Graham is an instinctive, powerful, versatile disruptor who can play multiple roles and contribute on all three downs.
A surprise in this tier may be Cam Jackson out of Florida. Jackson is a true nose tackle with special teams ability. However, he lacks explosiveness off the line and offers little as a third-down pass rusher.
