DowntownRams Round Table: Who should Rams draft at 57?

Downtown Rams Round Table: Who Should The Rams Draft at 57 Overall?

By Blaine Grisak of DowntownRams

The Los Angeles Rams don’t draft until 57th overall in the 2021 NFL Draft. We asked the DTR staff who they want with the 57th overall pick.

Los Angeles Rams

The Los Angeles Rams don’t draft until the 57th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. It’s going to be a long wait. In the meantime, we asked the Downtown Rams staff who they want the Rams to draft with the 57th overall pick.

Blaine Grisak

CB Asante Samuel Jr., iOL Quinn Meinerz, and S Jevon Holland

Samuel Jr. would be a perfect fit in the Rams secondary. The only question is if he lasts until 57. If the Rams are unable to bring Darious Williams back next year, a pair of Ramsey and Samuel on the outside would be lethal for opposing offenses.

Meinerz fits an immediate need at center and bring an attitude that the Rams simply don’t have right now up front. He dominated at the Senior Bowl despite coming from the Division III level. He is raw in areas and needs some development, but the potential is there.

Lastly, Jevon Holland might not be a popular pick, but he would be an immediate difference maker in the secondary at safety. He’s a versatile player that has true range and ball-hawking ability. The Rams plan to roll with Terrell Burgess and Jordan Fuller, but Holland would fill the huge hole that John Johnson III left when he went to Cleveland.

Jake Ellenbogen

CB Ifeatu Melifonwu, EDGE Payton Turner, and EDGE Gregory Rousseau

I love Melifonwu, he is one of my favorite prospects at not just CB but at any position in the draft. Melifonwu has great size and athleticism but I’m blown away by his physicality and his patience. I think with the uncertainty long term surrounding Darious Williams, Melifonwu makes sense for the Rams.

Turner is another one of my absolute favorite prospects in this draft. He’s an athletic pass rusher who is stout against the run and wins as a stand up pass rusher or hand in the dirt defensive end. His versatility, quickness and demeanor makes him my third edge defender in the draft and a dream scenario for the Rams to pair with Leonard Floyd. Imagine Turner, Floyd and Donald on the front of last year’s No. 1 defense? Would be a nightmare for opponents.

Rouseau is a tough one for me. He opted out in 2020 but before that he was a preseason top 5 selection. For some reason people are penalizing his 15.5 sack season (which was the best season for a pass rusher for anyone not named Chase Young) because his wins weren’t impressive. Rousseau has immense upside when you figure how much production he had after transferring over to a defensive end from playing wideout and defensive back in high school. This could very well be the guy and I trust the Rams to develop him into a Robert Quinn level stud if he indeed goes to LA.

Hunter Sanders

iOL Landon Dickerson and CB Elijah Molden

There are obviously huge injury concerns here, but when a 1st round talent is on the board this late in the 2nd round, it’s hard to pass up. The Rams need a interior offensive lineman after letting Austin Blythe go to the Chiefs. Dickerson could fill in the hole and excel if (and that’s a big IF) he can stay healthy.

DWhile a defensive back isn’t a huge position of need for LA considering how good their secondary was last year, it definitely wouldn’t hurt to take Molden after the losses of safety John Johnson III and cornerback Troy Hill. Molden played cornerback at Washington, but many project him as a Tyrann Mathieu-type (being able to play any position in the defensive backfield). It never hurts to have too many defensive backs

Jason Tyra

CB Asante Samuel Jr., LB Jabril Cox, and WR Rondale Moore

Samuel Jr. would be a great compliment to Jalen Ramsey and Darrell Williams in the Rams cornerback rookie. He would make it a true ‘no fly zone’. Cox is an athletic linebacker with terrific covering skills. Lastly, Rondale Moore might be a long shot at 57, but he’s a great wide receiver with amazing YAC ability. He would also fix the problems in the return game immediately.