The third and final day of the 2023 NFL draft will commence on Saturday in Kansas City, Missouri. The Los Angeles Rams finally got to make their first selection in this year’s draft on Friday night, taking guard Steve Avila out of TCU with the 36th overall pick.
After adding Avila early in the second round, the Rams proceeded to select edge rusher Byron Young out of Tennessee and defensive tackle Kobie Turner to bolster their defensive front. Entering Day 3 of the draft, the Rams are currently sitting with nine total picks in the final three rounds.
With plenty of talented prospects still available, here are eight ideal targets for the Rams on Day 3 of the 2023 NFL draft.
Cory Trice Jr. (CB, Purdue)
The Rams are thin at the cornerback position and this year’s class of cornerbacks is considered a deep one. Trice is a 6-foot-3 cornerback that possesses rare size and length at the position. The Purdue defensive back put together a productive campaign in 2022 with 10 pass breakups and two interceptions, making him a viable piece that could help replace the loss of Jalen Ramsey.
Zack Kuntz (TE, Old Dominion)
It remains to be seen what Tyler Higbee’s future with the Rams looks like, making it likely that the Rams will consider adding a tight end via the draft. Kuntz is a big-bodied tight end at 6-foot-7, 255 pounds, but he’s extremely athletic for his size. After transferring from Penn State to Old Dominion in 2021, he totaled 85 receptions, 836 yards, and seven touchdowns in his final two collegiate seasons.
Darrell Luter Jr. (CB, South Alabama)
Once again, the Rams need to fill the void left behind by Ramsey’s departure via trade and it’s going to take more than one cornerback to do that. Luter is an underrated prospect that played at South Alabama and flashed plenty of upside. The Senior Bowl invitee has the speed and ball skills to carve out a nice career in the NFL after accumulating 17 pass breakups and five interceptions in his last two years of college.
Anthony Johnson Jr. (S, Iowa State)
Besides the cornerback position, the Rams could elect to add a safety on Day 3 after losing Taylor Rapp and Nick Scott in free agency. Johnson out of Iowa State would be a fantastic selection to improve the backend of the defense. In his final year with the Cyclones, Johnson registered 60 tackles, four pass breakups, and two interceptions.
Isaiah McGuire (Edge, Missouri)
You can never have enough edge rushers in the NFL, and despite the Rams selecting Young with the 77th overall pick, they should consider bringing in another pass rusher. McGuire is a name that has been connected to the Rams in the pre-draft process and plenty of fans would likely love for him to dawn the horns. To finish out his collegiate career at Missouri, McGuire tallied 95 tackles, 28 tackles for loss, 14.5 sacks, and three forced fumbles in his last two seasons.
Ronnie Bell (WR, Michigan)
The Rams moved on from Allen Robinson after just one year, trading him to the Pittsburgh Steelers before the draft. With Cooper Kupp, Van Jefferson, and Tutu Atwell being the top three wideouts on the depth chart, the Rams could certainly look to add someone like Bell on Day 3. Bell is a solid route-runner that is great at creating in space and he caught 62 passes for 889 yards and four touchdowns for Michigan in 2022.
Clayton Tune (QB, Houston)
Much has been made about the Rams having just one quarterback on the current roster, which is Matthew Stafford. It’s been known that the Rams did their due diligence on this year’s class of quarterbacks and Tune was someone they held a pre-draft visit with. Tune threw for 4,074 yards, 40 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions in 2022, and he feels like a quarterback the Rams would trust with the backup job moving forward.
Kenny McIntosh (RB, Georgia)
With the Rams having a plethora of picks in the final three rounds, it’s hard to imagine them not taking a running back at some point. Seeing that Cam Akers doesn’t see much usage in the passing game, McIntosh would become a nice complimentary back that can contribute as a receiver. The Georgia back caught 65 passes for 747 yards and four touchdowns in his final two years of college, and he doesn’t have much tread on his tires (279 carries in four years) as he shared the field with other talented running backs at Georgia.
