Should Rams draft a first round cornerback?
The Los Angeles Rams didn’t trade Jalen Ramsey because they thought they could do better at cornerback. Ramsey was traded because the Rams wanted to dedicate their cap space to the offense and Ramsey wanted to make sure his future salary was guaranteed, a consequence of the trade that now the Miami Dolphins have to deal with: Ramsey has a $16 million cap hit in 2025 and a $25 million cap hit in 2026, plus dead money left on their cap until 2028.
The Rams may not have a cornerback like Ramsey anymore, but they have flexibility and could go searching in the draft for more options to add to a room with Emmanuel Forbes, Cobie Durant, Darious Williams, and Derion Kendrick.
PFF cites cornerbacks as L.A.’s biggest remaining need after the first week of free agency and mentions Texas cornerback Jahdae Barron as the best fit if he’s available when the Rams are on the clock in the draft:
Los Angeles Rams: Cornerback
The Rams have struggled to replace Jalen Ramsey since trading him to the Miami Dolphins two years ago. None of the cornerbacks on their roster posted a 65.0-plus PFF overall grade last season.
Barron could be a great pick, which is why more and more analysts see him as a top-15 or top-10 pick in April. Todd McShay has called him the second best corner in the class behind Travis Hunter and he’s not alone.
CFB Analyst Kirk Herbstreit just raved over Jahdae Barron on the Pat McAfee show
“He’s in run support, he’s blitzing, he’s playing space, he’s playing man. I mean the versatility is off the charts”
Former NFL DB Darius Butler compared Barron to All-Pro DB Malcolm Jenkins… pic.twitter.com/y5I9cr0BsY
— Cory Mose (@Cory_Mose) March 4, 2025
But just because something is perceived as a “need”, that’s not how Les Snead operates in the NFL Draft.
And let’s not forget that the Rams could use help at linebacker, at safety, and potentially a successor to Matthew Stafford at quarterback. Snead could ignore all of that and draft a wide receiver with his first pick, or a running back, based on his history as the GM.
Is corner the biggest need? Getting better is always a team’s biggest need, and getting better at cornerback has rarely been L.A.’s focus in the draft. The Rams will probably use that pick on the highest impact player…at any position.
