My Latest Mock Draft (3/4/23) with Thought Process on Each Pick

This draft was done on PFF website. I know they may be more liberal with trades than some of the other mock sites, but I certainly tried to use that to my advantage and hope that something like what's below could work out at least up to the 4th or 5th rounds. I really did try to combine need and BPA as best as possible most times. There are 2 picks at RB/FB that I'm not sure the Rams would run with, but I think both of those picks would make the team better.

It's a long read and I'd be open to hearing what you might do differently but without you knowing exactly who was and wasn't available during the draft, it would be hard to say for certain if a different pick is available in most of these slots.

ROUND 2 – OVERALL PICK 36
*TRADE: Rams trade pick #36 to Raiders for picks 38, 109 & 143.
*THOUGHT PROCESS: The cream of the crop at most of the Rams’ positions of need are off the board other than at S and IOL. There are still several strong candidates for the Edge position available. Dropping back 2 spots to pick up picks 109 & 143 makes sense because there will still be several potential starters available at pick 38 and it seems to me the value in this draft, once you get past the 10-15 real studs, is the pick 60-120 area.

ROUND 2 – OVERALL PICK 38
*TRADE: Rams trade pick #38 to Jets for picks 43 & 74.
THOUGHT PROCESS: Only Safety, Antonio Johnson and WR, Jalin Hyatt have come off of the board since the first trade back. Johnson would have been a nice add but there are still several of the players I’m targeting available and trading back 5 spots to pick up pick #74 feels like a no brainer AND something the Rams management would do.

ROUND 2 – OVERALL PICK #43
*TRADE: Rams trade pick #43, #143 & #191 to Lions for picks #48 & #81.
THOUGHT PROCESS: Prior to pick 43, 1 Edge (Ojulari) , 1 QB, 1 CB, 1 WR & 1 IDL Ika)came off the board. Ojulari and Ika would have been nice additions to the team. But, The top G, the 3 top centers and several Edge players that I believe can contribute right away are still available. I’m angling to get the top G, 1 of the 3 top C AND a solid edge player. BTW… Jamyr Gibbs was still available at pick #43, but I don’t think the Rams would draft him there.

ROUND 2 – OVERALL PICK #48
RAMS SELECT ANDRE CARTER II – EDGE – ARMY (6’-6” – 256LBS)
THOUGHT PROCESS: An edge is needed. Carter is raw but has the perfect body to add a bit of muscle and still remain fast. Because of being the military academy, he hasn’t been able to train year round. He should be a designated pass rusher in year #1. After a year of NFL strength and conditioning training, his potential is off the charts. The reality is that he didn’t show well at the Senior Bowl or the combine. But the general thought process is that he just needs better coaching and training and his ceiling is higher than the Edge players that remained available. Also, the top ranked G and all 3 of the top centers remain available. I’m hoping to use some trade capital gained from previous trade backs to land 1 of those players.

ROUND 2 OVERALL PICK #60
*TRADE: Bengals trade picks #60 to Rams for picks #69 & #211
RAMS SELECT JOE TIPPMANN – CENTER – WISCONSIN (6’-6” – 317LBS)
THOUGHT PROCESS: G, Avila went at #50, C, Schmitz went at #54 and C, Wypler went at #58. I had Schmitz as my top C and Wypler as my 3rd ranked C. This left me with only #2 center left of the top 3 and I felt it a good idea to trade up to make sure I got him. Tippmann is an experienced, strong and athletic center that will almost certainly start from day #1. He’s got excellent anchor to slow the larger DL that have given us headaches for the last several years.. He’s a bit tall and can sometime get leveraged by shorter DL but he’s played against solid completion for many years and should be an instant upgrade to the Rams OL. Additionally, if Logan Bruss is ever going to flourish, it’s not a bad idea to have him playing next to a center he’s worked with before. If Bruss is on the field, communication between the two should be solid.

ROUND 3 OVERALL PICK #74
RAMS SELECT ZACH CHARBONNET – RUNNING BACK – UCLA (6’-1” – 220LBS)
THOUGHT PROCESS: I did NOT want to take a running back this early. But, to me, he is the 2nd most pro-ready RB in this draft and in my opinion the best player available at this spot. He’s a guy who can likely come in a be a starter from the jump if needed. He does it all, runs it, catches it and is a good pass blocker already which we all know is required to see the field on a McVay team. I had a Safety pegged here and that safety was available but considering we aren’t sure if Cam is going to pout again next year and we have no idea yet what we have in Kyren Williams, grabbing a guy at this spot isn’t too risky and he could end up being the best running back on the team in a short time frame.

ROUND 3 OVERALL PICK #81
RAMS SELECT SYDNEY BROWN – SAFETY – ILLINOIS (6’-0” – 205LBS)
THOUGHT PROCESS: The Rams have lacked a true back end safety to play alone or in a 2-shell coverage for years. They’ve had guys recently that have been OK, but how many times have you seen the CBs watching some WR down the field from behind because they were supposed to have help over the top. Brown was born for this role. He’s fast, reads things well and is big enough to compete with most WR. He is NOT going to be a good fill player in the run game, at least from the get-go. He’s reasonably willing to tackle but seems like he tries to protect himself more while tackling than he punishes whoever has the ball in their hands. If the Ram’s can coach up his run support and get him tackling better, he’s going to be very solid, very early in his career.

ROUND 4 OVERALL PICK #136
RAMS SELECT COLBY WOODEN – DEFENSIVE END – AUBURN (6’-4” – 273LBS)
THOUGHT PROCESS: Wooden is a tweener when it comes to a 3-4 defensive. But, he’s high-motor, high-effort, high football IQ guy who is known to be the hardest working guy on the team day in a day out. He may be able to play both inside and outside provided he’s not asked to drop back into coverage. It’s his combine scores and the potential for being versatile that make him the pick for me. The reality is, there was no one available that blew me away. I’d like to grab a G or T here but those options feel like more of a reach than this pick does.

ROUND 5 OVERALL PICK #172
RAMS SELECT LUKE HAGGARD – TACKLE – INDIANA (6’-6” – 300LBS)
THOUGHT PROCESS: This guy is a bit of a LT project, but with a pick at this point of the draft, most guys are going to be projects. Haggard has earned everything the hard way playing at Junior college in CA before ending up at Indiana. He has good feet, massive reach and the body to add 15-20 pounds of good weight. Maybe a bit early, but there’s not much meat left on the bone for Tackles and I didn’t want to wait any longer to see him drafted by someone else. Train him up a bit as a swing tackle and let the cards fall where they will.

ROUND 6 OVERALL PICK #182
RAMS SELECT LUKE SCHOONMAKER – TIGHT END – MICHIGAN (6’-5 – 250LBS)
THOUGHT PROCESS: The Rams need a blocking TE and he is a natural and willing blocker that can drift out on passing routes on occasion where he will catch the ball. He may be capable of adding another 10 pounds but likely not much more. Simple pick… He fills a need and is drafted right around where most thought he would be.

ROUND 6 OVERALL PICK #
RAMS SELECT HUNTER LUEPKE – FULL BACK – NORTH DAKOTA STATE (6’-1” – 236LBS)
THOUGHT PROCESS: This is a selfish pick and probably well earlier than he would be selected. But, with only the 252nd pick remaining for the Rams, I thought he may be gone. This guy is a true FB battering ram but he can also run between the tackles with enough wiggle to bust off of 15-20 yard runs and provide a great goal line back options. Moreover, he’s got soft hands and good route running ability. The Rams have needed a Swiss army knife type of guy for a long time and this is a good option. Now, if they will only see the value and keep him on the team. I’m certain he’d be a core special teams guy right off the bat.

ROUND 7 OVERALL PICK #
RAMS SELECT CHRISTIAN YOUNG – SAFETY – ARIZONA (6’-3” – 217LBS)
THOUGHT PROCESS: Run supporting big nickel type safety to replace Taylor Rapp. Young is faster and should be a bit better in coverage than Rapp was but he will still lay the wood on runners and receivers alike. Size and speed make him a versatile piece and he should be a special teams demon as well.