TST writers give their Rams first round draft predictions

Predicting what the L.A. Rams will do on the first night of the NFL Draft

What the Rams do in the first round of the draft from position 19 is anyone’s guess. These happen to be the guesses by the Turf Show Times writing staff.

Jake Ellenbogen:

I think the Rams want to trade up to get Joe Alt. I think that’s their number one ideal scenario. Alt was coached by Tony Pastoors brother, the team needs a future left tackle and Alt is simply put the best of the best. Now, will the Rams be able to pull off a trade to 6th overall to get ahead of the Titans? That remains the hard part. So, with that said, I think the Rams move up to 12th overall with the Broncos and take Olu Fashanu out of Penn State.

Fashanu gives the Rams a bookend left tackle of the future and the here and now. Fashanu is my number two overall tackle in the draft and would be a worthy consolation prize to missing out on Alt. I do think Troy Fautanu is very much in play at pick 12 as well. The Rams would have to get in front of the Seahawks and likely some of the other offensive line needy teams like the Saints and Raiders as well.

It’s worth mentioning that I really think the Rams could also opt not to trade up and instead trade back and get some ammo to trade back into the first and take two prospects on the first round. Acquiring two fifth year option eligible players is my rationale behind that. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Rams selected Chop Robinson who they met with and then traded back into the first round to snag a tackle like Tyler Guyton.

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JB Scott:

Rams trade up with the Broncos at #12 to select TE Brock Bowers. While LA has found value late in the draft in recent years, this trade gives them a chance at a blue chip player that fell further than most anticipated. Sean McVay gets a unique chess piece for his offense.

Evan Craig:

I expect Les Snead to make one of two moves. Either he’ll take Byron Murphy II or Jared Verse with the No. 19 pick. Chop Robinson is also an option but my money’s on either Murphy or Verse. The Rams must make an attempt at improving the D-line with AD gone and either one of those players would be a solid addition.

The other move I really wouldn’t be surprised by is if Snead trades that first-rounder and more for a blockbuster move for a star. I could see Pat Surtain from the Broncos being an option since Denver is clearly punting on the year, further evidenced by their trade for Zach Wilson. This would be a wild card move for sure, but you can never put anything past LA’s front office as long as Les and Sean McVay are around.

Randy Soares:

Snead should play it cool and let the draft lay out in front of him. Six teams with present QB needs and six Round 1 prospects could make for gold fever and an early run a real possibility. Same thing could occur with tackles (seven Round1 candidates) and after Round 1 the prospects all take on a developmental tinge. Also, experts/pundits are expecting a Day 1 run on offensive players, overall. It could all combine to give Snead and Co. a top-rated defensive player.

Or dangle #19 for a tasty capital gain return. Tampa Bay is seven slots behind L.A. and has five selection’s in the Top 125. Carolina and Houston do not have a Day 1 pick, but have early Round 2 selections. The Panthers have #65 and #101 as possible package sealers. The Texans have six picks in the Top 125 to sweeten things up. These are the easy ones that stand out looking at the draft chart, there are many others.

Blaine Grisak:

I am predicting that the Rams trade up for a tackle. In my mock draft, I had the Rams taking Tyler Guyton if they were to stay at 19. However, I believe Les Snead will be looking to trade up into the 8-12 range. If that’s the case, I would have them taking Olu Fashanu out of Penn State. While Alaric Jackson was fine at left tackle last season, I could still see the Rams look to upgrade at that spot. Selecting Fashanu follows the offseason trend of the Rams building a wall around Matthew Stafford. Fashanu is arguably the best pass-blocking tackle in this class and could become a staple at left tackle that the Rams have lacked since Andrew Whitworth retired.

Danny Stone:

I expect them to trade down