All signs point toward Andrew Whitworth returning to the Rams for the 2021 season, so long as they’ll have him back. He seems intent on playing a 16th season in the NFL at the age of 40 and being under contract through 2022, it only seems logical that the Rams would welcome him back.
But regardless of whether Whitworth returns in 2021, the Rams need to begin searching for his eventual replacement. In Luke Easterling’s new two-round mock draft for Draft Wire, he has the Rams finding a potential heir to Whitworth’s throne.
At No. 57 overall, Easterling has the Rams selecting Cincinnati left tackle James Hudson. He’s a raw left tackle prospect with a somewhat limited sample size playing the position in college, but he’s a talented player with a high ceiling. He performed well at the Senior Bowl and has the requisite size teams look for at left tackle (6-foot-4, 302 pounds).
Hudson is projected to be a second- or third-round pick in April and whichever team selects him will be getting a promising player, but maybe not one ready to contribute right away as a starter. Fortunately for the Rams, they don’t need an immediate starter.
Whitworth should be back in 2021 and with Joe Noteboom only having one year left on his contract, he’s not certain to be a long-term option to replace Whitworth. Hudson would give the Rams yet another player to compete for the position down the road, along with Bobby Evans and possibly even Tremayne Anchrum.
