Will Rams break streak of avoiding cornerbacks in the draft?
The Los Angeles Rams rarely target cornerbacks early in the draft, will 2025 be the best opportunity for a change of pace?
Sam Teets, who posts scouting reports of draft prospects every single day on his Sports Talk newsletter, has a new 3-round mock draft out on Monday. Here are his three picks for the Los Angeles Rams.
26. Los Angeles Rams: Azareye’h Thomas, CB Florida State
Unless I’m forgetting someone, the Rams haven’t used a top 100 selection on a true outside cornerback since taking Janoris Jenkins in 2012. The Eagles broke a similar streak when they took Quinyon Mitchell last year, and that worked out pretty well. There are some nice free agent corners this year, so the Rams have options.
Thomas is listed at 6’1, 191 on the NFL.com website and we should get better measurements, athletic times at the combine this week. Here’s what Lance Zierlein had to say about him:
Press-man cornerback with average speed but excellent length to disrupt game flow for opponents. Thomas deters early looks his way from quarterbacks by jabbing, crowding and smothering the release from press. He lacks route recognition and lateral twitch to stay tight to breaks from off-man. He also needs to develop his instincts and trust his eyes from zone coverage. He has average top-end speed but competes to shrink the receiver’s downfield catch odds using his length and ball skills. He’s more likely to spoil a catch than make a play on the football that results in a turnover, but that could change with more experience. He’s below average in run support, although he improved in that area in 2024. Thomas needs more seasoning, but he could become a good starter within two or three years.
It’s been a while since the Rams have drafted any solid corners as they still have to find upgrades to Derion Kendrick and Cobie Durant. Starter Ahkello Witherspoon is a free agent and Darious Williams is a cap casualty candidate.
In the third round, Teets has the Rams choosing linebacker Chris Paul Jr. at 90, then going to the other side of the ball and picking WR Troy Horton at pick 100.
LB Chris Paul, Jr
6’1, 235 lbs
Here’s what The Draft Network has to say:
While Paul looks the part of a linebacker, he’s relatively undersized and looks smaller than his listed weight. He has room to add mass onto his athletic frame and not lose much of his quick twitch and athletic ability. He’s growing as a diagnoser against the run, but when he hits his gap and locates the running back, he’s rewarded with tackles for loss. When he’s slow to process what’s happening, he tends to guess and can overlap himself in a teammate’s gap, giving a rushing lane to an opposing running back. He uses good body positioning to mitigate his shorter arms when he can, but too often, he gets swallowed up by longer offensive linemen because he lacks the ability to stack and shed blocks regularly. He locates the football fairly well, but read-option plays can be difficult to sort out.
Paul is at his best in coverage, where he can showcase his oily, loose hips and mirror the quarterback’s eyes. He is functional in both man and zone coverage, but his willingness to follow the quarterback when he gets out of the pocket causes him to vacate responsibility too frequently. He doesn’t have the best hands to create turnovers, but he can quickly break up passes and cover ground. He has the speed to cover running backs and some receivers and the willingness to man up tight ends, although he will lose the size battle there. His click and close gets him downhill against screens and backs in the flat. However, his tackling angles, undercutting blocks, and poor positioning give ball carriers too much space. Keeping outside leverage and more patience will help create more negative plays for the offense. He doesn’t have a pass rush plan or many tools, but he’s a great blitzer in a free lane with the upside to spy the quarterback.
Paul could work to succeed Christian Rozeboom and Troy Reeder in a year or less.
WR Troy Horton
6’1, 187 lbs
Tory Horton is a twitchy and fluid wideout with the skill set and collegiate production that should translate quickly to the next level. Highly productive wideout inside the Rams offense where his experience in producing at an extremely high clip showcases a wideout that has the nuance, maturity, and fundamental skill set to compete at the game’s highest level.
Overall, Horton is a nuanced wideout with many of the traits teams look for in contributing pass-catchers at the next level. Considering his frame, skill set, and production, Horton remains one of the country’s most talented wideouts with a chance to hear his name called in the top 100 selections in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Horton wouldn’t be an answer to Cooper Kupp, but instead to Tutu Atwell and Demarcus Robinson.
The Rams do not have a second round pick this year.
How would you feel if they picked these three players in April? Let us know in the comments.