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‘Twas the week before Christmas.....eerrr NFL Draft – Mock
Don't know about anyone else, but I feel giddy this week just like a kid looking forward to Christmas.
Preface: This last mock before the Draft centers on players the Rams would pick based on Snead’s recent interview stating they’re focusing on players from larger schools, conferences who have played in big games, are NFL ready, and can contribute from Day 1, meshed with players that I like who I think fit that description.
Going to propose some CAP reduction in order to facilitate trade below.
Rams get that needed shot in the arm of experience and tenacity in the secondary to help make the Defense Top 5 in the League. It is a short term gamble for a Superbowl run while they still have Stafford. Shula to play mostly Zone coverage allowing Ramsey to keep everything in front of him.
Draft:
Trades-
Rams trade back with Cleveland for them to get a QB with 5th year option.
Rams send #26 ; Browns send #33, #94 & #179
5th Round: Rams send #190 & #201 ; Houston sends #166 .
#33 TE - Mason Taylor - LSU
Mason Taylor LSU Tigers 2024 Highlights
Taylor is arguably the most NFL ready player in the Draft. He also may be the most under utilized. Most of his targets were within 10 yards of the LOS. It is rare to see him catching a ball 15-20 yards downfield, but when he does he has great body control. He has the skillset and the willingness to do whatever McVay requires in the offense. IMO, he will be TE1 by mid-season.
#94 Safety - Andrew Mukuba - Texas
Drew's Clues | Andrew Mukuba NFL Draft Report & Scouting Profile
At 5’11 195 lbs, Mukuba has a slighter frame than other Safeties. However, this dose not eter from being one the hardest hitters when playing downhill and attacking ball carriers. He has 4.45 speed and can play sideline-to-sideline. He has elite football IQ and when in Zone can close gap on an open receiver “in a hurry”. He is versatile enough to play the slot. I think he can improve the Rams secondary similarly to the way Brian Branch did with the Lions, which is also noted in the video. He also had great production in 2024 with 6 INT’s an 5 passes defensed. With Kamren Curl and Quentin Lake only under contract one more season, Safety is as much a need as CB.
I see him being utilized in a 3 Safety implementation in sub packages and he could also sub for Lake against opponents with smaller, quicker receivers lined up in the slot.
#101 RB - Dylan Sampson - Tennessee
Dylan Sampson | 2024 Tennessee Highlights
Sampson brings the explosiveness and change of pace that I believe McVay is looking for when he mentions that he wants to tweek the offense in a way that they used Brooks in the Buccaneers’ offense. He’s got 4.40/40 speed, and he had 39 explosive runs in 2024. He can make defenders miss in a phone booth, he’s a good pass catcher but will need some work as a pass protector.
#127 CB - Dorian Strong - Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech DB Dorian Strong | 2025 NFL Draft Tape
Strong has enough size to play boundary CB at 6’1” 185 lbs. He has good make-up speed. He has a balanced skill set for both Zone and Man coverage ; evident by his PFF grades of 70 for both types of coverage. In 2023, he was only targeted 33 times an allowed 9 catches. He had a forced incompletion percentage of 13% over 4 seasons.
#166 DE - Elijah Roberts - SMU
"Elijah Roberts Is A GAME WRECKER!" | 2025 NFL Draft Prospect Spotlight!
Roberts has prototypical size for a 3-4 DE ; 6’4” 295 lbs. He had 3 years of experience @ Miami before transferring to SMU. So, he has a lot of game experience in the ACC. He had 8 sacks in 2024 along with a Pass Rush Win Rate of over 16%, which is great for a player his size playing DE and not getting the same head start that other OLB’s get with more space between them and the OT. He is relentless in pursuit, has powerful hands. Is a bit more stiff than most edge rushers and therefore mostly a Power Rusher at this point. If you like Jared Verse, you’re going to like Elijah Roberts.
#179 LB - Cody Simon - Ohio State
NFL DRAFT HIGHLIGHTS: LB Cody Simon | Ohio State Football
Simon has great experience along with being a Starting ILB of the National Champion Buckeyes. He is requisite size, 6’2” 235 lbs. He grades out highly by PFF, 87.7 overall, 90 vs Run, 80 as blitzer, 72 in pass coverage. ONe of his limitations is not a great wing span for disrupting the catch point with receivers. Other than that, he is above average playing coverage in Zone. Other attributes that the Rams love was that was team captain in 2024 and also won the “Bill Willis Block ‘O’ Jersey” for leadership, toughness, accountability, and character.
#195 WR - Keandre Lambert-Smith - Auburn
Keandre Lambert-Smith 2024 Auburn Season Highlights
Keandre will bring explosiveness to the X position in the Rams receiver room. He runs a 4.37/40 with 1.52 10 yd split. He’s 6’1” 190 lbs., surprisingly physical as a blocker despite his lean frame. Has elite change of direction displayed in his short shuttle time of 3.83 which translates to his route running efficiency. Consistently productive with 74% of his receptions going for first downs or TD’s. He will need to work on beating press coverage and work on lining up on the left side of the formation more. About 90% of all his snaps were from the right side.
#202 OT - Esa Pole - Washington St
Esa Pole | The Best Sleeper OT of the 2025 Draft - YouTube
Esa has great size for playing LOT, 6’7” 319 lbs. He started 22 games for the Cougars and during the 2024 season allowed 0 sacks on 498 Pass snaps. He has the second highest pass protection grade of any LOT in PFF at 86. However , he will need to improve his run blocking, with a grade of only 58.
Don't know about anyone else, but I feel giddy this week just like a kid looking forward to Christmas.
Preface: This last mock before the Draft centers on players the Rams would pick based on Snead’s recent interview stating they’re focusing on players from larger schools, conferences who have played in big games, are NFL ready, and can contribute from Day 1, meshed with players that I like who I think fit that description.
Going to propose some CAP reduction in order to facilitate trade below.
- Extend Kevin Dotson ; possible CAP savings between 8-10 million
- Cut Post June 1st - Colby Parkinson 5.2 million savings
- Cut Post June 1st - Derion Kendrick 3.4 million savings
Rams get that needed shot in the arm of experience and tenacity in the secondary to help make the Defense Top 5 in the League. It is a short term gamble for a Superbowl run while they still have Stafford. Shula to play mostly Zone coverage allowing Ramsey to keep everything in front of him.
Draft:
Trades-
Rams trade back with Cleveland for them to get a QB with 5th year option.
Rams send #26 ; Browns send #33, #94 & #179
5th Round: Rams send #190 & #201 ; Houston sends #166 .
#33 TE - Mason Taylor - LSU
Mason Taylor LSU Tigers 2024 Highlights
Taylor is arguably the most NFL ready player in the Draft. He also may be the most under utilized. Most of his targets were within 10 yards of the LOS. It is rare to see him catching a ball 15-20 yards downfield, but when he does he has great body control. He has the skillset and the willingness to do whatever McVay requires in the offense. IMO, he will be TE1 by mid-season.
#94 Safety - Andrew Mukuba - Texas
Drew's Clues | Andrew Mukuba NFL Draft Report & Scouting Profile
At 5’11 195 lbs, Mukuba has a slighter frame than other Safeties. However, this dose not eter from being one the hardest hitters when playing downhill and attacking ball carriers. He has 4.45 speed and can play sideline-to-sideline. He has elite football IQ and when in Zone can close gap on an open receiver “in a hurry”. He is versatile enough to play the slot. I think he can improve the Rams secondary similarly to the way Brian Branch did with the Lions, which is also noted in the video. He also had great production in 2024 with 6 INT’s an 5 passes defensed. With Kamren Curl and Quentin Lake only under contract one more season, Safety is as much a need as CB.
I see him being utilized in a 3 Safety implementation in sub packages and he could also sub for Lake against opponents with smaller, quicker receivers lined up in the slot.
#101 RB - Dylan Sampson - Tennessee
Dylan Sampson | 2024 Tennessee Highlights
Sampson brings the explosiveness and change of pace that I believe McVay is looking for when he mentions that he wants to tweek the offense in a way that they used Brooks in the Buccaneers’ offense. He’s got 4.40/40 speed, and he had 39 explosive runs in 2024. He can make defenders miss in a phone booth, he’s a good pass catcher but will need some work as a pass protector.
#127 CB - Dorian Strong - Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech DB Dorian Strong | 2025 NFL Draft Tape
Strong has enough size to play boundary CB at 6’1” 185 lbs. He has good make-up speed. He has a balanced skill set for both Zone and Man coverage ; evident by his PFF grades of 70 for both types of coverage. In 2023, he was only targeted 33 times an allowed 9 catches. He had a forced incompletion percentage of 13% over 4 seasons.
#166 DE - Elijah Roberts - SMU
"Elijah Roberts Is A GAME WRECKER!" | 2025 NFL Draft Prospect Spotlight!
Roberts has prototypical size for a 3-4 DE ; 6’4” 295 lbs. He had 3 years of experience @ Miami before transferring to SMU. So, he has a lot of game experience in the ACC. He had 8 sacks in 2024 along with a Pass Rush Win Rate of over 16%, which is great for a player his size playing DE and not getting the same head start that other OLB’s get with more space between them and the OT. He is relentless in pursuit, has powerful hands. Is a bit more stiff than most edge rushers and therefore mostly a Power Rusher at this point. If you like Jared Verse, you’re going to like Elijah Roberts.
#179 LB - Cody Simon - Ohio State
NFL DRAFT HIGHLIGHTS: LB Cody Simon | Ohio State Football
Simon has great experience along with being a Starting ILB of the National Champion Buckeyes. He is requisite size, 6’2” 235 lbs. He grades out highly by PFF, 87.7 overall, 90 vs Run, 80 as blitzer, 72 in pass coverage. ONe of his limitations is not a great wing span for disrupting the catch point with receivers. Other than that, he is above average playing coverage in Zone. Other attributes that the Rams love was that was team captain in 2024 and also won the “Bill Willis Block ‘O’ Jersey” for leadership, toughness, accountability, and character.
#195 WR - Keandre Lambert-Smith - Auburn
Keandre Lambert-Smith 2024 Auburn Season Highlights
Keandre will bring explosiveness to the X position in the Rams receiver room. He runs a 4.37/40 with 1.52 10 yd split. He’s 6’1” 190 lbs., surprisingly physical as a blocker despite his lean frame. Has elite change of direction displayed in his short shuttle time of 3.83 which translates to his route running efficiency. Consistently productive with 74% of his receptions going for first downs or TD’s. He will need to work on beating press coverage and work on lining up on the left side of the formation more. About 90% of all his snaps were from the right side.
#202 OT - Esa Pole - Washington St
Esa Pole | The Best Sleeper OT of the 2025 Draft - YouTube
Esa has great size for playing LOT, 6’7” 319 lbs. He started 22 games for the Cougars and during the 2024 season allowed 0 sacks on 498 Pass snaps. He has the second highest pass protection grade of any LOT in PFF at 86. However , he will need to improve his run blocking, with a grade of only 58.
