After their reboot following the 2022 season, the Los Angeles Rams are back in pursuit of another Super Bowl run, this time focused more on addressing needs through the draft and taking advantage of cheap rookie contracts to fill out holes on their roster instead of being aggressive spenders.
The Rams have plugged holes and addressed needs in free agency, signing starters like Jonah Jackson, Darious Williams, Tre'Davious White, and Kamren Curl while retaining key rotational players such as Michael Hoecht, Demarcus Robinson, and Christian Rozeboom. However, the retirement of Aaron Donald threw a bit of a wrench into their defensive identity, and their need for pass rush hasn't been greater over the last decade.
In ESPN's new mock draft, Field Yates addresses the pass-rush early for the Rams by adding Penn State pass rusher Chop Robinson in the first round.
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.
Robinson's explosive first step off the line of scrimmage and pass rush ability have him pretty high among draft boards, but his grade varies from analyst to analyst. Consensus seemingly places Robinson about the end of the first round to the beginning of the second round. While that would be a slight reach at 19th overall, the Rams have consistently operated by their own board.
With their second round pick, Yates has the Rams addressing their defensive tackle spot by selecting Florida State defensive tackle Braden Fiske at pick #52.
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.
The Rams appear likely to move second-year defensive tackle Kobie Turner over to the three-technique spot previously occupied by Aaron Donald as their primary "pass-rushing" interior defensive line. Fiske could step into this role as well and would keep Turner where he enjoyed a tremendous rookie season last year at.
After their 2022 reboot, the Rams have seemingly adopted the approach of "spending on offense, drafting on defense". This ESPN mock draft certainly fits that bill, and would give the Rams two disruptive pass rushers to help fill the void left behind by Aaron Donald's retirement.