NFL Draft: Rams could snap up Offensive linemen...

NFL draft: Rams could snap up offensive linemen

[www.ocregister.com]

After making their first big decision of the offseason in acquiring quarterback Matthew Stafford, the Rams face another in figuring out who’ll snap the ball to him.

Last year’s starting center, Austin Blythe, signed with the Kansas City Chiefs. The previous starting center, Brian Allen, hasn’t played since a November 2019 knee injury. The other center on the roster is Coleman Shelton, an undrafted special-teams player.

Could the Rams find their fourth straight new opening-week center in this month’s NFL draft?

“Because it’s such a nuanced position of almost being the second QB on the field, it’s hard just to project a rookie can do it,” Rams general manager Les Snead said in March, before Blythe’s departure became official. “(It’s) a little bit harder to project them than other positions.”

But this might be the year to try.

Center isn’t the only offensive-line position the Rams should be looking at in the draft, which will be held April 29 to May 1.

Left tackle is another. Andrew Whitworth will be 40 in December and is taking his career one year at a time. The Rams need a successor at the position, with Joe Noteboom and Bobby Evans the top backup tackles on the roster.

Because of trades, the Rams have no first-round pick for the fifth draft in a row. Unless or until Snead makes his usual draft-day deals, they have picks in the second round (57th overall), third (88th and 103rd), fourth (141st), sixth (209th) and seventh (252nd). No. 103 is compensation for losing executive Brad Holmes to the Lions, and No. 141 is compensation for losing free agents in 2020.

Whom the Rams draft will depend a lot on who’s still available when they select.

Here’s a look at intriguing centers and tackles who could be on the board when the Rams’ turns come up:

Centers

Landon Dickerson, Alabama

At 6-foot-6, 333 pounds, Dickerson is a former guard who won the Rimington Trophy as the nation’s top center after helping the Crimson Tide to the national championship as a junior in 2020.

The highest-rated center in NFL.com’s analysis, he’s viewed as a second-round pick but could slip lower because of concerns about knee and ankle injuries in college.

It’s unclear how reassured scouts were when Dickerson made a show of turning cartwheels at Alabama’s pro day.

Creed Humphrey, Oklahoma

An ex-wrestler respected for his leadership qualities, the Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year as a junior in 2020 went into the draft process well-regarded and only raised his stock in Oklahoma pro-day testing.

He’s rated as a second-round pick, so he’s another who could be available at No. 57.

Josh Myers, Ohio State

Myers moved from guard to center as a sophomore and started there as a junior for the national championship runners-up.

Analysts laud his football IQ, suggesting he could become an NFL starter sooner than most young centers.

Others to watch include: Kendrick Green, Illinois (All-Big-Ten center-guard); Quinn Meinerz, Wisconsin-Whitewater (guard-center).

Tackles

Teven Jenkins, Oklahoma State

This draft class is rich with offensive-tackle prospects, perhaps too many for them all to be taken before the Rams have a chance.

Jenkins, All-Big-12 and a three-year college starter at right and left tackle, could become a steal for a team picking in the second or third round.

Jalen Mayfield, Michigan

He played mostly right tackle in college, and made only 15 starts before declaring for the draft as a junior, but an NFL team could gamble that a player with his talent could be trained to play on the left.

Forecasters have him going anywhere from the first to third round.

D’Ante Smith, East Carolina

NFL.com analyst Daniel Jeremiah sees the Rams taking Smith with a third-round pick. He has experience playing guard before two years as a college starter at left tackle. That could appeal to the front office and coaching staff that value flexibility.

“I’m not so sure Whitworth’s not going to play until he’s 60,” Jeremiah joked on the NFL Network, “but eventually, you’re going to have to pass the torch and I think D’Ante Smith is somebody who can play outside, can play inside.”

Others to watch include: Walker Little, Stanford (injured in 2019, opted out in 2020); James Hudson, Cincinnati (raw talent with only 11 college starts).