NFL draft rumor claims L.A. has interest in Laiatu Latu

Will the Rams draft Laiatu Latu if he gets to 19?

Byron Murphy II and Laiatu Latu have been mocked to the L.A. Rams so regularly that at this point I’d be more shocked than not if Les Snead just does what people expect him to do. But until then, most people will go with the whelming news than the surprising.

Tony Pauline of the practically unusable website Sportskeeda suggests that the Rams will turn to Latu if Byron Murphy isn’t on the board.

“One of those teams are the L.A. Rams, who hold the 19th pick of Round 1. While I’ve had Byron Murphy II mocked to the Rams with that first pick, there’s a good chance the Texas defensive tackle doesn’t make it that far and the Rams turn their attention to Latu.”

Pauline adds that “most teams” have medically cleared Latu following a history of neck injuries that preceded his transfer to UCLA from Washington.

Recently mocked to the Rams by The Athletic, Laiatu Latu’s draft stock has been anywhere from top-10 to bottom-10 in the first round. There really hasn’t been any consensus on the order of the first round edge rushers, including Dallas Turner, Jared Verse, Chop Robinson, and Latu.

The edge with the deepest set of pass rushing moves, Latu’s success probably hinges greatly on defensive scheme fit and what his first NFL team is asking him to do. Perhaps that would work on the Rams, although first-time defensive coordinator Chris Shula has everything to prove in the coming year.