It’s officially NFL draft month as the big event in Nashville will kick off on April 25. There’s still some work left to be done in terms of evaluations and prospects will be traveling across the country to meet with teams, but the next three weeks will fly by.
The Los Angeles Rams will have several options with the No. 31 overall pick, one of which is trading down into the second round. Being without a pick in Round 2, moving back and picking up an extra mid-rounder seems like a wise move for Les Snead.
If the Rams do move back, there will be plenty of talented players still on the board. The meat of this draft class is in the second and third rounds, which is where the best values will come.
Here are seven players the Rams could target if they trade down from No. 31 overall.
Mississippi State DT Jeffery Simmons
Taking Simmons in Round 1 is simply too risky given the circumstances surrounding him. Not only does he come with character concerns after he was seen hitting a woman in 2016, but he also tore his ACL less than two months ago. The injury will likely limit his contributions next season, while selecting him at all will come with criticism for the incident three years ago.
That being said, a team is bound to select Simmons in the first two rounds and it could be the Rams if he slips into the second. Pairing him with Aaron Donald would give the Rams a dominant duo up front and ease the burden of losing Ndamukong Suh.
Maryland safety Darnell Savage
Savage will visit the Rams before the draft, so Los Angeles clearly has interest in the former Terrapins safety. He’s an aggressive player with great athleticism despite being on the shorter side and can contribute right away as the No. 3 safety. The Rams often had three safeties on the field last season with Marqui Christian being a hybrid player, so Savage could play a similar role.
He won’t be around when the Rams go on the clock late in the third round and taking him at 31 is a tad early, so Savage would ideally be a trade-back target.
Michigan EDGE Chase Winovich
Winovich could go as early as Round 1, but he’d be a far better value in the second round. Moving back 10-15 spots to select him in the second round would be a good move for the Rams, adding a mid-round pick in the process. Winovich is a perfect fit in a 3-4 defense at outside linebacker, putting him in a spot to rush the quarterback and use his relentless motor to stop the run.
He’s plenty athletic with a 4.59 40-yard dash and 6.94 three-cone drill, also posting a phenomenal 4.11 short shuttle – the fastest of any edge defender at the combine.
Mississippi State safety Johnathan Abram
The Rams are bringing in Abram for an official pre-draft visit, taking a closer look at the Bulldogs safety. He’s a physical player and likely the hardest hitter in the class, but he isn’t the best in coverage. If the Rams were to select him, it’d likely be with the goal of making John Johnson more of a traditional free safety when Eric Weddle retires.
Because he’s limited in coverage somewhat, Abram fits better in that second tier of safeties, going somewhere in Round 2. It wouldn’t be a huge mistake to take him at 31 if the Rams can’t move back, but there should be better prospects available at that spot. Still, he should be a target in Round 2 after a possible trade back.
West Virginia OT Yodny Cajuste
Cajuste is out three months after undergoing surgery on his quad, which could ding his draft stock slightly. The Rams don’t need an instant starter at tackle, but more a developmental player who can take over for Andrew Whitworth in 2020. Cajuste is great in the running game but does have room to improve in pass protection, but he’d be going to a team with a great O-line coach in Aaron Kromer.
Of all the players on this list, Cajuste may not last long beyond the Rams’ 31st overall pick, so any trade back to target him would have to be minor, not a 20-spot move.
Boston College OL Chris Lindstrom
Lindstrom is a first-round talent who could get pushed down the board a bit due to the overwhelming depth on defense. No one would complain if the Rams selected him at No. 31, but getting him in Round 2 would be an even better value because of the added picks that would come with moving down.
He could be a Day 1 starter at guard and allow Joseph Noteboom to sit again as he awaits Whitworth’s retirement, or if the Rams really want to get crazy, they could put Lindstrom at right guard and move Austin Blythe back to center. Either way, he’d be a nice addition to an offensive line that suffered two major losses this offseason.
Virginia safety Juan Thornhill
Another pre-draft visitor, Thornhill has been a fast riser in the last month or so. He’s a candidate to go in Round 1 but with so many talented safeties in this class, he could slide a bit. If the Rams want to move back and draft Thornhill in the second round, they shouldn’t trade down more than 10 or 15 picks because he very well could be gone by then.
He’s a versatile defensive back who can play free safety or cornerback, also matching up with tight ends in coverage. He’d be the third safety on the depth chart next season before ultimately becoming John Johnson’s running mate in 2020.
