POD Community Mock Draft: With the 26th pick, the Rams select…

With the 26th pick in the Pride of Detroit Community Mock Draft, the Los Angeles Rams select…

The Detroit Los Angeles Rams are up in the 2025 Pride of Detroit Community Mock Draft—where you, the reader, participates in our site-wide mock. The Rams have done a pretty fantastic job rebuilding after going all in for the 2021 Super Bowl. For an “eff them picks” team, they’ve found some fantastic contributors in the draft since the Super Bowl, including Kyren Williams, Steve Avila, Byron Young, Kobie Turner, Puka Nacua, Jared Verse, and Braden Fiske.

Picking for the Rams in our 2025 POD Community Mock is commenter PonceDeLion. Before we get into their pick, make sure you’ve seen the previous 25 selections in our Community Mock Draft tracker.

With the 26th pick in the Pride of Detroit Community Mock Draft, the Los Angeles Rams have selected…

Walter Nolen, defensive tackle out of Ole Miss.

Here’s PonceDeLion with the explanation:

For a team without much recent history of first-round picks, this is a chance to nab a premium position that can play right away.

Rams Needs: CB, LB, OL, TE

Given their success at drafting in the later rounds, I expect some of those will be addressed with four picks in rounds 3-5. This pick is about building on a strength. Nolen can immediately get snaps in an already formidable defensive line rotation that also added Poona Ford in free agency.

While not the athletic freak that Aaron Donald was, Walter Nolen is in a similar mold. 6-foot-4, 296 pounds, able to anchor and also able to penetrate. A No. 1 overall high school recruit nationally, his production improved each season in college. He transferred from Texas A&M to Mississippi for the 2024 season and was first-team AP All-American and first team All-SEC.

There were times last season (Lions in OT, Eagles) when the Rams were exposed against the run. With Nolen, the Rams will have a great defensive line rotation with excellent run stopping and pass rush options. With SF, Seattle and Arizona all likely to feature the run, this is not overkill. Sure, they could use a stud corner, but you don’t need one when the QB is running for his life.

Grade the Rams’ selection of Walter Nolen in the poll below, and then share your thoughts in the comment section.