Few position groups in the NFL look as weak as the Rams’ edge rushers heading into the 2023 draft. Michael Hoecht and Daniel Hardy or Keir Thomas are projected to be their starters on the edge, which is quite the drop-off from their Leonard Floyd-Von Miller tandem in the second half of 2021.
It’s why so many experts have the Rams taking a pass rusher with their first pick in the draft. But Mel Kiper of ESPN has a new name for Los Angeles in his latest mock draft, which goes two rounds deep.
He has the Rams taking Keion White, a versatile pass rusher from Georgia Tech. White isn’t a pure edge rusher at his size, standing 6-foot-5 and 285 pounds – 45 pounds heavier than Floyd– but he can line up as a defensive end or stand-up rusher in the Rams’ 3-4 scheme.
His best position is as a defensive end, similar to the role A’Shawn Robinson and Michael Brockers played in Los Angeles’ system.
The Rams are trying to rebuild their defense on the fly — there aren’t many starters left from their 2021 Super Bowl-winning season. At 6-foot-5, 285 pounds, White is a nice fit as an end in L.A.’s 3-4 defense. He played both tackle and end in college, putting up 7.5 sacks last season. The Rams need a defender who could contribute immediately.
White transferred from Old Dominion to Georgia Tech in 2021 after spending three years at ODU. He only played four games in 2021 and had zero sacks, but he had 7.5 sacks in 12 games last season to close out his college career and put himself on the map as a draft prospect.
Daniel Jeremiah of NFL Network previously had White ranked 15th in his top 50, but he’s dropped him to No. 27. He did say White “could emerge as the top defender in the class” because of his impressive athleticism. Pro Football Focus has him ranked 120th overall, though, so his projections are all over the map.
As for his pro comparison, Lance Zierlein compared him to John Franklin-Myers, who the Rams drafted in the fourth round in 2018 and surprisingly cut after just one season.
