Rams Big Board: Top 101 prospects for LA in the 2021 NFL draft
For the fifth straight year, the Los Angeles Rams are expected to sit out the first round of the draft, being without a top-32 selection due to the Jalen Ramsey trade from 2019. Their first pick will be at No. 57 overall, followed by selections at Nos. 88 and 103 in Round 3.
They won’t have a shot to draft the top prospects but there will be plenty of options available in the second round for Los Angeles. We’ve ranked the top 101 prospects for the Rams in the draft, laying out the best players they could have a chance to select.
Obviously, this list doesn’t include the very best prospects in the class who Los Angeles has no shot to select, players such as Kyle Pitts, Jaylen Waddle, Rashawn Slater, Penei Sewell and Kwity Paye. That doesn’t mean every player listed below will be available at No. 57, but even the ones unlikely to reach the Rams’ first pick could be trade-up targets if they experience a draft-day fall.
And so, here is our 2021 Rams Big Board, giving you an idea of which players Los Angeles could land in the draft.
Top 10
Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports
1. OLB Jayson Oweh, Penn State 2. CB Asante Samuel Jr., Florida State 3. LB Zaven Collins, Tulsa 4. C Creed Humphrey, Oklahoma 5. C Landon Dickerson, Alabama 6. LB Jamin Davis, Kentucky 7. CB Elijah Molden, Washington 8. LB Jabril Cox, LSU 9. OLB Joseph Ossai, Texas 10. OLB Payton Turner, Houston The Rams would probably be thrilled to come away with any of these players at No. 57. It's hard to see Oweh or Collins making it to the Rams, and Humprhey and Davis are also unlikely to get there, but stranger things have happened. Samuel remains a top target for Los Angeles in Round, but the front office can't go wrong with anyone listed above.
11-20
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11. S Jevon Holland, Oregon 12. CB Ifeatu Melifonwu, Syracuse 13. OLB Joe Tryon, Washington 14. CB Aaron Robinson, UCF 15. C Quinn Meinerz, Wisconsin-Whitewater 16. S Richie Grant, UCF 17. DL Milton Williams, Louisiana Tech 18. OT Alex Leatherwood, Alabama 19. CB Eric Stokes, Georgia 20. LB Nick Bolton, Missouri Another strong group of players, All of them could be targets at No. 57 overall, too. They would fill positions of need, primarily on defense, though Leatherwood may have to wait a year before becoming a key contributor. Meinerz is a player the Rams have met with multiple times and he seems to be on a short list of prospects Los Angeles has its sights on.
21-30
(Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images)
21. OLB Ronnie Perkins, Oklahoma 22. OL Jalen Mayfield, Michigan 23. G Wyatt Davis, Ohio State 24. DE/OLB Gregory Rousseau, Miami 25. OT Dillon Radunz, North Dakota State 26. OT Liam Eichenberg, Notre Dame 27. DE/OLB Carlos Basham Jr., Wake Forest 28. CB Tyson Campbell, Georgia 29. OT Samuel Cosmi, Texas 30. LB Chazz Surratt, North Carolina Rousseau's agent has said teams told him they will take the former Miami pass rusher in the first round if he's available. If that turns out to be true, the Rams won't have a shot at him. But anyone else from 21-30 could be in consideration either at No. 57 or 88. Surratt is an intriguing player who transitioned from quarterback to linebacker, and while he's a boom-or-bust prospect, his ceiling is high.
31-40
(AP Photo/Rusty Costanza)
31. WR Rondale Moore, Purdue 32. LB Baron Browning, Ohio State 33. OLB Quincy Roche, Miami 34. OT Walker Little, Stanford 35. DL Osa Odighizuwa, UCLA 36. CB Kelvin Joseph, Kentucky 37. DL Daviyon Nixon, Iowa 38. DE Dayo Odeyingbo, Vanderbilt 39. C Josh Myers, Ohio State 40. LB Pete Werner, Ohio State Now we're getting deeper into Round 3 targets for Los Angeles. Moore is the outlier here because he could be a first-round pick, but he's only ranked 30th because wideout isn't a high position of need. They would likely prioritize other positions before taking a wideout. Myers is a third-round target at center, while Roche is an undersized pass rusher who fits best in a 3-4 scheme.
41-50
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41. CB Paulson Adebo, Stanford 42. S Jamar Johnson, Indiana 43. C/G Kendrick Green, Illinois 44. S Hamsah Nasirildeen, Florida State 45. OLB Rashad Weaver, Pitt 46. WR D’Wayne Eskridge, Western Michigan 47. DL Tommy Togiai, Ohio State 48. OLB Patrick Jones, Pitt 49. S Andre Cisco, Syracuse 50. CB Robert Rochell, Central Arkansas The Rams have shown interest in Eskridge leading up to the draft, making him a potential fit at No. 88 overall. Rochell is a highly athletic corner who played against lesser competition in college, but he might be a sleeper on Day 2 or early on Day 3. Nasirildeen is a versatile defender who can line up at safety or come down into the box as a hybrid linebacker.
51-60
(AP Photo/Rusty Costanza)
51. CB Ambry Thomas, Michigan 52. CB Thomas Graham Jr., Oregon 53. CB Kary Vincent Jr., LSU 54. DE/OLB Janarius Robinson, Florida State 55. WR Nico Collins, Michigan 56. DL Marlon Tuipulotu, USC 57. C Michael Menet, Penn State 58. G Deonte Brown, Alabama 59. G Trey Smith, Tennessee 60. WR Tutu Atwell, Louisville Robinson doesn't have great college production but he has the ability to play either outside linebacker or defensive end in the Rams' scheme. This group of players includes a bunch of corners and linemen, all of whom could help the Rams right away. Atwell is extremely undersized but the Rams had a pre-draft meeting with him and he's a speedster.
61-70
(AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
61. OLB Cameron Sample, Tulane 62. DL Jaylen Twyman, Pitt 63. WR Anthony Schwartz, Auburn 64. WR/RB Demetric Felton, UCLA 65. WR Simi Fehoko, Stanford 66. LB Derrick Barnes, Purdue 67. WR Jaelon Darden, North Texas 68. CB Benjamin St-Juste, Minnesota 69. OL Drake Jackson, Kentucky 70. C Drew Dalman, Stanford Keep an eye on Dalman as Day 2 and 3 of the draft roll on. He played for new Rams offensive line coach Kevin Carberry in college and though he's on the smaller side as a center, he's an intelligent player. Jackson could be a target in the fourth round or so, too. Felton had a pre-draft meeting with the Rams, bringing excellent versatility as a running back, receiver and returner.
71-80
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71. WR Shi Smith, South Carolina 72. OLB Jordan Smith, UAB 73. OLB Charles Snowden, Virginia 74. OT James Hudson, Cincinnati 75. DE Darius Stills, West Virginia 76. G Aaron Banks, Notre Dame 77. C Trey Hill, Georgia 78. OLB Chris Rumph II, Duke 79. OLB Daelin Hayes, Notre Dame 80. LB Dylan Moses, Alabama If not for durability concerns, Moses would probably be much higher. But he'll likely be a Day 3 pick because of it. Smith and Snowden are talented edge rushers, as are Rumph and Hayes, who could help the Rams right away on the edge. Hill could be a prospect for the Rams on Day 3 if they miss out on the top centers.
81-90
81. LB Monty Rice, Georgia82. DB Ar’Darius Washington, TCU83. CB Tay Gowan, UCF84. S/LB Divine Deablo, Virginia Tech85. WR Ihmir Smith-Marsette, Iowa86. WR Sage Surratt, Wake Forest87. OT Brenden Jaimes, Nebraska88. CB Tre Brown, Oklahoma89. DL/OLB Chauncey Golston, Iowa90. RB Michael Carter, North Carolina The Rams met with Gowan, Golston, Smith-Marsette and Surratt from this group, so they could be mid-to-late round targets. Deablo is a tweener at linebacker and safety, which the Rams have experience with from Mark Barron's days. He could potentially help L.A. at two positions if drafted on Day 3. The Rams shouldn't prioritize the running back spot, but Carter has a nice skill set to him.
91-101
Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports
91. TE Jacob Harris, UCF 92. LB Cameron McGrone, Michigan 93. LB Tony Fields II, West Virginia 94. LB Ernest Jones, South Carolina 95. CB Shaun Wade, Ohio State 96. OLB Shaka Toney, Penn State 97. LB Isaiah McDuffie, Boston College 98. CB Darren Hall, San Diego State 99. RB Javian Hawkins, Louisville 100. RB Pooka Williams Jr., Kansas 101. TE Kenny Yeboah, Ole Miss These prospects will mostly be in the late-round consideration for the Rams, even if some of them get drafted earlier than that. They met with Harris already as he brings a rare combination of size and speed for a tight end/receiver. They also talked to Hall and Hawkins; Hall can play safety or corner, while Hawkins has good speed and quickness with receiving ability.
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