9 edge rushers the Rams could target in the 2021 NFL draft
The Los Angeles Rams found a way to re-sign Leonard Floyd this offseason, bringing back their top edge rusher for the 2021 season and beyond. But he alone doesn’t answer their questions at outside linebacker, especially with fellow starter Samson Ebukam leaving in free agency.
The draft will present the Rams with plenty of good options on Day 2 and 3, with some particularly intriguing prospects set to be available at No. 57 and 88 overall.
Here are nine edge rushers the Rams could target at some point in the draft, with most of these players likely to be selected in the fourth round or earlier.
Joseph Ossai, Texas
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Ossai should be among the pass rushers Los Angeles considers at No. 57 overall after putting together back-to-back productive years at Texas and performing well at his pro day. He had five sacks in each of the last two years, along with 29.5 tackles for loss and four forced fumbles. He has a high motor and is a perfect fit as an outside linebacker in the Rams’ scheme, standing 6-foot-3 and 256 pounds. As is the case with most young pass rushers, he still needs to develop his repertoire of moves, but the potential is there and his effort should get him on the field early as a situational rusher.
Quincy Roche, Miami
(AP Photo/Rusty Costanza)
Roche is 23 and played just one season at Miami after transferring from Temple. He had 26 sacks and 39.5 tackles for loss in three seasons at Temple, earning AAC Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2019. At Miami, he racked up 14.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks in 10 games last season. He doesn’t have great length or size, though, which could push him down draft boards. At 6-foot-2 and 245 pounds with 32.25-inch arms, Roche has some slight limitations, but he’s fairly explosive off the line and produced each year in college.
Carlos Basham Jr., Wake Forest
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Basham is a bigger edge rusher with the ability to also move inside in sub-packages. He’s 6-foot-3 and 274 pounds with 32 7/8-inch arms and 4.59 speed. He’s plenty explosive and plays with good power, often making his way into opposing backfields. At Wake Forest, he totaled 35.5 tackles for a loss, 20.5 sacks and four forced fumbles, putting up solid production on defense. Though not the best fit as a 3-4 outside linebacker, the Rams don’t strictly use an odd front. They often have four down-linemen, which is where Basham fits best.
Payton Turner, Houston
(AP Photo/Matt Patterson)
Turner has all the measurables teams will covet, weighing in a t 6-foot-5 and 270 pounds with 35-inch arms and an eye-popping 84-inch wingspan. What he lacks, though, is college production. He only had nine sacks and 23 tackles for a loss in three seasons as a starter, also forcing only one fumble. Turner is a Day 2 prospect who could use time to develop and become a starting edge rusher, which makes him a logical target for the Rams. They do need help at outside linebacker, but they have enough bodies to allow Turner to learn for a bit before ascending up the depth chart.
Jordan Smith, UAB
(AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)
Smith started out at Florida but was suspended in 2017 for a credit card scandal and spent a year at the JUCO level at Butler Community College. He then played two seasons at UAB, totaling 14.5 sacks and 27 tackles for loss. He’s plenty big (6-foot-6 and 255 pounds) with good length (33 3/8-inch arms), but there are character concerns and doesn’t play with great strength when taking on blockers. He’s worth a shot as a mid-round pick, though.
Joe Tryon, Washington
(AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Could the Rams dip back into the Washington Huskies pool of players? Tryon has a good chance to be a late first-round pick this month as one of the top edge rushers in the draft, so he may not make it to the Rams at No. 57. But along with a few others, Tryon should be near the top of their wish list. He was just a one-year starter at Washington, recording 12.5 tackles for loss and eight sacks in 13 games in 2019 before opting out of the 2020 season. His size and length aren’t a question (6-foot-5, 259 pounds with 34-inch arms), but he’s somewhat raw due to his somewhat limited sample size in college.
Ronnie Perkins, Oklahoma
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Perkins started 25 games at Oklahoma and had 16.5 sacks to go along with an impressive 32 tackles for loss. He’s not the most physically imposing edge rusher at 6-foot-2 and 253 pounds, but he’s also not necessarily undersized. A failed drug test in 2019 caused him to miss six games and will be a red flag among talent evaluators, but he has the production and ceiling to be a Day 2 pick – and a fairly early contributor in the Rams’ scheme.
Chauncey Golston, Iowa
The Rams met with Golston already, though it’s not clear if they view him as an edge rusher or defensive lineman. He can play either spot in their 3-4 scheme and could do so at a high level. He had 27 tackles for loss in 43 games at Iowa across four seasons, earning All-Big Ten honors in 2020 with 8.5 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks in only eight games. At 6-foot-4 and 269 pounds, he possesses good size and his 84 ¼-inch wingspan allows him to disengage from blockers, but don’t expect him to blow by tackles on the edge en route to the quarterback.
Rashad Weaver, Pittsburgh
(AP Photo/Rusty Costanza)
Weaver is a quality run defender along the edge, similar to the way Floyd is for the Rams. He plays with good length and power on the outside but as evidenced by his 32-inch vertical and 4.86 40-yard dash, he’s not the most explosive player. He did have good production in college, though, with 34.5 tackles for loss in 35 career games, along with 17 sacks and five forced fumbles. A torn ACL in 2019 caused him to miss a year, bringing some durability concerns into the equation, but he looked plenty good enough this past season to warrant a mid-round pick.
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