Les Snead and Sean McVay have been hard at work building a roster capable of winning another Super Bowl as early as next season, bringing in key veterans such as Jonah Jackson, Kamren Curl, Darious Williams, Tre’Davious White and Colby Parkinson.
They’ve plugged holes at various positions of need, but the pass rush is still a huge concern, especially now that Aaron Donald is retired. That makes outside linebacker and defensive tackle top priorities in the NFL draft this month and it’s likely the Rams will spend at least one of their 11 picks on a player at each position.
In Field Yates’ latest mock draft at ESPN, the Rams finally address their pass rush by adding two outstanding defenders: edge rusher Chop Robinson at No. 19 and defensive tackle Braden Fiske at No. 52.
There is a sudden hole in the Rams’ defense after the retirement of Aaron Donald, so defensive tackle has certainly moved up their priority list. That made Texas’ Byron Murphy II an intriguing consideration here. But the Rams’ need for a pass-rush boost led me instead to the explosive Robinson. While his modest sack production (four in 2023) will be something teams dig in on, I see the best first step for any pass-rusher in the entire class and a player who can bend the edge in a hurry. It’s easy for me to envision him stuffing the stat sheet much more at the NFL level.
There’s no real consensus on where Robinson will be drafted later this month but many analysts have him as a fringe first-rounder. Taking him at No. 19 isn’t out of the question, but it would be somewhat surprising if the Rams took him over Laiatu Latu as they do in this mock.
At No. 52, the Rams fortify the defensive line, which lost Donald to retirement. Fiske performed extremely well at the NFL combine and is one of the four best defensive tackles in the draft, so landing him in Round 2 feels like a good value for a team like the Rams.
I am a huge fan of Fiske’s game — he is a ball of disruption who lives behind the line of scrimmage. While Fiske lacks elite size and length (292 pounds and 31-inch arms), he consistently blows up plays. He had six sacks and 10 run stops last season.
With all of the assets the Rams sunk into the offense, they’re due for some defensive help. This mock draft provides some, taking steps toward building a formidable defensive front.