The Los Angeles Rams are coming off a disappointing 5-12 season. And we now know is the Rams full draft positioning for the 2023 NFL Draft. Below, we have our official Rams Mock Draft.
Critics decry the Rams trading away first round picks all the time, but in 2023, the Rams have a ton of draft picks. They’re in good shape. You can get All-Pro players in the sixth round too you know.
I did a deep dive on the Rams last five NFL Drafts to see any trends and can present to you my Rams Mock Draft Vol. 2. I think the Rams need beef, experienced, well-aged beef, because no matter the coach or quarterback, this is a team built to win today.
Rams Draft History
In the last five years, the Rams have drafted 45 players. They have drafted 10 defensive backs, 10 defensive linemen, and eight offensive linemen. That tells you where they believe the NFL Draft has value. It’s a passing league, so you always need guys who can cover, hence the defensive backs. And you need players who can protect the quarterback, hence the offensive linemen.
Of course, this year, all of the Rams offensive linemen got hurt. That was a problem.
I wanted to see if there was a school or conference the Rams liked more than most, but no. In the last five drafts, the Rams have taken two players from six different schools, that’s it (Louisville, Michigan State, Oklahoma, TCU, Washington and Wisconsin).
However, I do believe that the Rams are partial to players on the West Coast. And I believe you’ll see that in my mock draft.
The Rams need offensive linemen, edge rushers and defensive backs. Guess what? So does every other NFL team.
The Draft is a living breathing thing. Those may be the positions the Rams need, but at some point you just take a player who think can help you. As the draft goes further along, you’re much more apt to take a player at a position you’re stocked with over a bad player at a position of need.
History of Pick 37
The Rams first pick in April will be in the second round, slot No. 37, barring any trades. Honestly, it wouldn’t surprise me to see the Rams package some picks at some point during the draft to move up.
Remember, the Rams don’t have a first-round pick. That pick, No. 6 overall, went to the Lions in the Stafford deal.
I wish I could tell you that the 37th pick is a magic number with multiple Hall of Famers coming from there, but it’s not.
The last pick 37 was DB Jalen Pitre by the Texans. He’s been Ok. There have been two famous announcers drafted at pick No. 37. Cris Collinsworth was the 37th pick by the Bengals and the Rams drafted quarterback Ron Jaworski at No. 37 back in 1973. Jaws went on to a Super Bowl appearance with the Eagles.
Who will the Rams take at 37 and beyond? Let’s go.
Rams Mock Draft (Updated Feb. 16, 2023)
Second Round – Overall Pick 37
OL Andrew Vorhees, Southern Cal
This past season showed that the Rams can never have too many offensive linemen. Vorhees might be a little bit of a reach here, but he’s 6-foot-6, 325 pounds and played a lot of football with the Trojans in five years. He played right guard and left guard.
This is what the Rams need, a player on the offensive line who doesn’t need to time to develop, who they can plug in and let play for the next 5-8 years.
Third Round (70)
DL/Edge Lukas Van Ness, Iowa
He never started a game for the Hawkeyes. They used him as a situational rusher, and he delivered with 13 sacks in two years. He’s 6-foot-5, 269 pounds, so can also line up inside as well. He’s got what the scouts call “good bend” which is just code for flexibility and speed coming off the edge.
Fifth Round (169)
RB Chris Rodriguez, Kentucky
Rodriguez comes with a little baggage. He was suspended at Kentucky early this season for falsifying timecards at his work study deal. How can anyone do that in college football these days with all the NIL money around?
He skipped the Wildcats bowl game to get ready for the NFL Draft. He’s low to the ground, a short-yardage master who ran for 3,644 yards in his Kentucky career. A pounder if Cam Akers becomes the slasher part of the running game.
Fifth Round (172)
OT Jaxon Kirkland, Washington
Another big West Coast offensive lineman who the Rams can use right away. Kirkland is 6-foot-7, 310 pounds who played a lot of left guard this past year for the Huskies. He played 48 games in his college career. So again, like Voorhees, this isn’t a player the Rams would have to develop.
Sixth Round (181)
QB Jake Haener, Fresno State
This was the first player I thought of when putting this piece together (seriously). And honestly, by April, don’t be surprised if Haener shoots up everyone’s draft boards. Haener had a huge junior season throwing for over 4,000 yards, last year he led the Bulldogs to the Mountain West Conference title. Good size, good moxie, he could be a back-up, or the next Matthew Stafford, who knows? But you always like quarterbacks coming out of college who won a lot of games. That’s Haener.
Sixth Round (188)
DB Jay Ward, LSU
Ward is another player who I think will see his stock rise from now until the NFL Draft. He’s set to play at the Senior Bowl this month. He played both corner and safety at LSU and projects somewhere as a nickel. He’s aggressive and fast. The Rams already have a lot of defensive backs, but Ward fits the prototype they look for.
Sixth Round (190)
LB/Edge Jacoby Windmon, Michigan State
Windmon was involved in that fracas in the tunnel between Michigan and Michigan State and was suspended for the last few games of the year. He’s 6-foot-2, 230 pounds, tall and lean for an edge rusher, but you can take a flyer here on his fierceness.
Sixth Round (211)
WR Jared Wayne, Pitt
Wayne improved dramatically during his college career and set a career high with 60 catches for 1,063 yards as a senior and five touchdowns. He’s 6-foot-3, 210 pounds, a possession-type player who again, won’t need much development time. He can come in and contribute right away.
Seventh Round (225)
DB Rejzohn Wright, Oregon State
Wright was one of the featured players in Last Chance U, when they did a year at Laney College in Oakland. His brother Nahshon plays for the Cowboys. Rejzohn isn’t as big as Nahshon, but has good instincts and athleticism. He had 92 tackles in his three years in Corvalis and four picks. Again, the Rams would favor him because of his West Coast background.
Seventh Round (255)
TE Will Mallory, Miami
Miami has been the cradle of NFL tight ends and Mallory is next in line. He probably should have come out last year, and I think his stock is also going to rise in the next couple of months. He’s not a blocker. He’s built like Jimmy Graham, 6-foot-5, 245 pounds. He caught 42 balls for the U last season.
