Andrew Whitworth called it a career this offseason, retiring from the NFL after 16 years. Yet, despite losing one of the best left tackles in football, that’s not a position of need for the Rams.
They re-signed Joseph Noteboom to be Whitworth’s heir, and on the opposite side, they have Rob Havenstein manning the right tackle spot. It’s important to have a swing tackle, just as Noteboom was the last two years, but it’s hard to call that one of the Rams’ biggest needs.
In Draft Wire’s new three-round mock draft, Los Angeles adds a starting-caliber left tackle by selecting Nicholas Petit-Frere at No. 104 overall. Petit-Frere played both left and right tackle at Ohio State, which is a huge tackle if he were to get selected by the Rams this month.
Lance Zierlein of NFL.com calls him a “high-floor, low-ceiling left tackle with Day 2 value,” seeing flaws in his game when it comes to his strength against more powerful pass rushers.
Obviously, Petit-Frere wouldn’t come in and start at either tackle spot as a rookie, but he would have a chance to take Noteboom’s spot as the Rams’ swing tackle. That was an important role the last two seasons as both Whitworth and Havenstein missed time due to injuries or COVID-19, and Noteboom did an excellent job in every opportunity he got.
