Last year, the Los Angeles Rams didn’t have a great idea of which prospects would be on the board when they were up to pick at No. 104 overall in the third round. This year, they’ll be picking 68 spots earlier at No. 36 in the second, so they’ll be able to better project who will be available on Friday night.
Their draft board should be set by now and at the top will be prospects they’d love to have but may not be available at No. 36. There’s always a chance someone will slip in the draft on Thursday or Friday and the Rams come away with a steal, but they may have to settle for one of their more realistic targets.
We’ve identified 11 dream prospects who probably won’t be on the board at No. 36 but there’s at least a slim possibility they could be – and all would be fantastic picks for Los Angeles.
In no particular order, here are 11 prospects the Rams should be thrilled to land on Friday night.
CB Deonte Banks, Maryland
Banks is an outside cornerback who probably won’t have much versatility as a slot defender at the next level, but he’s an excellent boundary defender. He has the size and speed teams covet in a cornerback, along with rare explosiveness that was shown by his 42-inch vertical and 11-foot-4 broad jump.
The Rams desperately need cornerback help and Banks would immediately become their No. 1 defender on the outside. Unfortunately, his stock has skyrocketed since the combine and he’s now projected to go as early as the middle of the first round, but in a loaded cornerback class, maybe he’ll slip to the Rams at No. 36. Maybe.
DL Adetomiwa Adebawore, Northwestern
Adebawore is a polarizing prospect because he’s a tweener. He doesn’t have prototypical size for a defensive tackle, standing 6-foot-2 and 282 pounds. However, he’s got the athleticism and explosiveness of an edge rusher, running a 4.49 and jumping 37.5 inches in the vertical, one of the best defensive lineman performances ever at the combine.
Adebawore would be a versatile piece in the Rams defense, able to line up at edge rusher, defensive tackle or defensive end. In all likelihood, he’d replace A’Shawn Robinson as the end, which is a perfect spot for him as a run defender and pass rusher. He has a chance to be there for them at No. 36.
DB Brian Branch, Alabama
Branch’s stock has slipped since his testing numbers were just OK during the pre-draft process, but he’s still one of the best defensive backs in the draft. It’s unfair to call him a safety because he primarily covers the slot the way some cornerbacks do, but he’s also a physical player like a safety. So, he’s a nice blend of both in the secondary, which should get him drafted on Day 1.
He had an 86.4 coverage grade and 90.7 run defense grade last season, according to PFF, with only a passer rating of 69.3 allowed in coverage and a 3.3% missed tackle rate. Branch would solve a lot of the Rams’ problems in the secondary, especially with Ramsey gone.
CB Emmanuel Forbes, Mississippi State
Forbes has some doubters because of his thin frame, being just 166 pounds. That limits his impact as a tackler and run defender, which are critical traits in the Rams’ zone-heavy scheme. However, no one can deny his coverage ability or ball skills. He only allowed 31 catches on 58 targets last season, picking off six passes for the Bulldogs. That translated to an 89.3% coverage grade and a passer rating of only 44.7 in coverage.
Like Banks, Forbes doesn’t have much position versatility, playing just 22 snaps in the slot since 2020, but he’s a legitimate CB1. It’s why he’s likely to go in the first round.
OLB Myles Murphy, Clemson
Murphy is built like the type of edge rushers the Rams look for, weighing in at 6-foot-5 and 268 pounds. He’s a well-rounded outside linebacker who can rush the passer and stop the run, using his athleticism and power to make plays on the edge. He’s projected to go somewhere in the mid-to-late first round, which will probably put him out of the Rams’ reach, but they’d have trouble doing much better than him at No. 36.
Murphy has the production and size the Rams covet in edge rushers, and if he can improve his pass-rush repertoire, he’ll become an even better pro than he was a college player. His ceiling is high as a prospect.
G O’Cyrus Torrence, Florida
Torrence is viewed as the best interior lineman in this draft, which makes him a dream prospect for the Rams. If one team in the first round wants a starting guard, they’ll look toward Torrence, a powerful and athletic lineman who should be a starter from Day 1.
He’s exactly the type of lineman the Rams could use on the interior and he would be an instant upgrade over the guys they currently have on the roster. Not only is he a punishing run blocker, but he didn’t allow a single sack in three years in college. Guard isn’t a high-value position but for the Rams, he’d be perfect.
DL Keion White, Georgia Tech
White was ranked as high as No. 8 in Daniel Jeremiah’s first top-50 prospect rankings back in January, which goes to show A) how highly regarded he was a few months ago and B) how his stock is falling. White is now ranked 28th by Jeremiah, quite the drop in a span of three months.
Still, he’s an enticing prospect for a team like the Rams that could use a pass rusher with inside-out versatility. Like Adebawore, White fits well as a defensive end in their scheme, which is a position that has lacked pass-rush upside in recent years; A’Shawn Robinson didn’t offer much in that area. White can also stand up and rush off the edge, too, which would give Raheem Morris some options.
DT Calijah Kancey, Pitt
What’s better than one Aaron Donald? Two Aaron Donalds! Kancey isn’t Donald, but he’s been compared to the Rams star for their Pitt background and undersized frames for defensive tackles. Oh, and Kancey just happened to beat Donald’s combine record with a 4.67 in the 40-yard dash, the fastest time ever by a defensive tackle.
His testing at the combine have pushed him into the middle of the first round in mock drafts and that’s certainly the area where he could come off the board on Thursday night. Kancey would help early as an interior rusher for the Rams and more importantly, he could eventually take Donald’s place at 3-technique after AD retires.
TE Michael Mayer, Notre Dame
Mayer may not be the most athletic or physically gifted tight end in the class, but he is probably the cleanest prospect at the position. He caught 67 passes for 809 yards and nine touchdowns last season after catching 71 passes for 840 yards and seven touchdowns the year prior, so he was the model of consistency at Notre Dame.
He only ran a 4.7 in the 40-yard dash, so it’s not as if he’s a burner down the seam, but he can do everything as a tight end. He’s an excellent blocker, has reliable hands and can make contested catches in traffic. It’s why he’s been compared to Jason Witten, which is also why the Cowboys at No. 26 are expected to be his floor in the draft.
OLB Will McDonald IV, Iowa State
McDonald may not be a full-on cartwheel-eliciting pick at No. 36, but he would be a perfect prospect for the Rams. They need pass rushers and McDonald is great at pressuring quarterbacks. He’s also a solid run defender on the edge like Leonard Floyd was for them, so he’d be a pretty seamless replacement for the veteran outside linebacker.
He’s a good athlete, which gives him more upside as a potential second-round pick, and he recorded two seasons with 10-plus sacks in college. He should be viewed as a first-round talent so if he makes it to No. 36, he’d be a great value for the Rams. In all likelihood, he’d be the best available pass rusher for them at that spot because it’s hard to see anyone better than him being on the board still.
DL Bryan Bresee, Clemson
Bresee has a wide range of projected draft slots but most experts have him going anywhere from the middle to the end of the first round. He’s a versatile defensive lineman who can play any spot up front, but his best spot in the Rams’ defense would be at defensive end, providing more pass-rush ability than A’Shawn Robinson did.
Like McDonald, he may not be a prospect fans go crazy for in Round 2, but he would absolutely make the Rams better against the run and when it comes to pressuring quarterbacks. He was a former 5-star recruit out of high school and had a career-best four sacks as a freshman in 2020 before going through injuries and a family tragedy the following two years.
