Final 2026 Offseason Rams Mock Draft

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Also Memento, since you like Kewan Lacy, what do you think if the actual draft mirrors IC's mock and Lacy is still on the board when the Rams pick? Should the Rams draft him or do we have bigger fish to fry than getting a RB?
 
Twopointtry said:
Also Memento, since you like Kewan Lacy, what do you think if the actual draft mirrors IC's mock and Lacy is still on the board when the Rams pick? Should the Rams draft him or do we have bigger fish to fry than getting a RB?
Click to expand...

I like Lacy a lot, but I think we have much bigger fish to fry than running back, and I really like Dean Connors (and Jordan Waters to a lesser extent) on the practice squad.

Wide receiver should be at the absolute top of the list, potentially to double-dip, especially if Nacua leaves/is franchised/dealt (the latter of which I think is very unlikely). You already have Adams and Atwell leaving after this year (please holy fate let Atwell leave and never come back), and none of the others are proven (and Whittington is a free agent after next year). I'd absolutely spend the potential compensatory third-round pick (from Scheelhaase becoming a HC - which is very possible, considering the interest he got last year) on Ryan Coleman-Williams, especially if he's in the third-round range; that talent is too much for me to pass up, and there's familiarity with Simpson as well. If Mike Matthews is available on Day 3, I'd pop him as well.

Offensive line is also a massive concern that I'd double-dip - or even triple-dip - in, considering we'll need a guard (unless Trost steps in seamlessly for one of Dotson/Avila), a center, and potentially two tackles (as I don't trust A-Jax to not fuck up off the field, and he's a free agent in 2028, while McClendon is a free agent this year.). I'd love to re-sign Avila over Dotson if we had a choice between the two, but that's not a guarantee. Shelton, I'm not sure about. I don't know enough about the center class, Iapani Laloulu would be a pick of mine if center was the position in 2027 we took in the second round, but I could also see the Rams start McMahon as well, since he's a restricted free agent in 2028. The aforementioned Cayden Green would be at the top of my list when it comes to O-linemen; I'd spend our second-round pick on him for certain, sit him until A-Jax is dealt/elects free agency. Trost would start at either tackle or guard. It all depends on if we re-sign McClendon or not.

I'd also draft an edge rusher to replace Agent Zero and/or Desjuan Johnson and compete with Stewart and Bailey. You mentioned Adam Trick in another thread? He'd be an option as well with a Day Three pick.

Defensive line is something I'd love to work on as well. I'm not sure if AD stays or goes after this year, and Fiske, Davis, and Ford are free agents in 2028. I'd love to re-sign Turner - in fact, he would be my top priority - and Bill Norton really impressed me at nose tackle, so maybe that's your Ford replacement, but there's a lot of uncertainty on the line. And no, I don't like Ty Hamilton, and I don't know what the coaches see in him. So, I could see us take a Day 2/3 pick on the D-line, maybe even double-dip there, if AD re-retires.

Tight end is going to be interesting, depending on if they re-sign Parkinson or not. Either way, Dan Villari is likely getting a spot, but with Parkinson and Allen both as free agents and Higbee on his last legs, I could see us take a tight end on Day 3 as well, depending on if we re-sign Parkinson.

Backup corner is a concern, as Forbes is a free agent and we're already dangerously thin when it comes to depth. Maybe you address that with a Day 3 pick as well.

Running back is the furthest thing from my mind. Maybe in 2028 when Corum is a free agent (possibly Hardy if he stays in school to increase his stock?), but other than that? Absolutely not a priority.
 
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Ian Cummings isn't the only expert who has thrown brand new names into the first 2 rounds.

On FirstandTen's draft board, Kingston Lopa, a safety from Cal, suddenly appears out of nowhere, debuting at slot 53, with a "late 1st to 2nd round" projection. On the NFLMDD consensus draft simulator, Lopa is ranked 419th. I don't know anything about this player either, but in the blink of an eye he goes from a "nobody" to being one of the top prospects in the draft pool.

The NFL draft process is pretty crazy.
 
On Drafttek, Austin Simmons, Reed Harris and Deuce Alexander all make their debut on the big board. Instead of being 1st or 2nd round picks the way IC has them mocked, Drafttek lists all 3 of those players in UDFA territory. Simmons is 275, Harris 290 and Alexander 304.
 
Comparing Ian Cummings's mock (or the simulator) with his board, there are interesting discrepancies:

Reed Harris, WR. The PFN sim apparently hasn't been updated to show IC's most recent changes, because in the sim for his board, Harris is 201st but on his board Harris is all the way up to 19th. A sign of how fast Harris has flown up boards from out of nowhere. Similar deal with Tavion Gadson, a DT, who is now 21st on the board (he was 41st in the sim). Deuce Alexander in the sim is 212, making me wonder if he's moved up IC's board since the last update but didn't make the top 100.

Charlie Becker, WR. In the mock he was 6th, but he's actually the 3rd best prospect on IC's board.

Kewan Lacy, RB. In IC's mock, the Rams pass on Lacy to take a DT. It is worth noting, however, that Lacy is the 15th ranked prospect on IC's board. So, we pass on a player almost 40 slots lower than his board ranking. Just saying, at what point does BPA trump need?

Wyatt Young, WR. In the mock, he isn't taken until 92 but he's 54th on the board, exactly where the Rams pick in the mock.

Kayin Lee, Antwan Raymond, Brandon Baker, Adam Trick. If you've seen some of my mocks, I sometimes draft these guys in the later rounds. All these players are in the top 90 on IC's board.

Darian Mensah, QB. Only 105th on the board, just ahead of Mestemaker. LaNorris Sellers is 161st.

Ryan Wingo, WR. Only 130th on the board.

Isaiah Sategna, Ty Benefield, Boubacar Traore, Will Heldt. In the most recent STTM mock, the Rams get Traore in the 2nd rd. All of these players are 6th round prospects on IC's board.

Nyck Harbor, Chris Peal, Terrance Carter Jr., Nate Frazier, Duce Robinson, Jackson Bennee. All of these players are highly ranked on at least some boards, but IC hates all of them and has them as fringe prospects 50/50 to get drafted at all.

Some of the players IC has look like they might be for medical reasons or because IC doesn't think they will enter the 2027 draft, not exactly clear why he gave them super low numbers. For example, Evan Stewart is 536th.

CharMar Brown, RB. At least his name is on the board, 404th.

Anthonie Knapp, OG. In the sim he's only 131, but on IC's board his 69. That's a substantial jump for a player who to me is the same guy this year he was last year. I'd be curious to know why IC was so low on him before and why he moved Knapp up.
 
When Marvin Harrison Jr. was in the draft, I said he was overrated and wasn't the generational WR he was billed as. I still gave him a 1st round grade, but only expected him to be a solid starter, not an elite All Pro. In a draft simulator vs strangers, people made fun of me when I took Nabers ahead of MHJ.

We are in MHJ's 3rd season and the same national media that crowned him before the draft is now burying him, showing panic over his lack of production and the direction of his career.

I don't feel that MHJ is a "disappointment". He is who I thought he was. People just created an aura about him that was unnecessary, building him up too much.
 
Tae Johnson, who is ND's "coverage safety" is the better regarded NFL draft prospect, but I also like their "enforcer safety" (listed as the boundary safety on their depth chart), Adon Shuler. He's generally projected to be a middle round selection.

F&T 3rd rd projection 79
Sam Teets 97 (late 3rd to 4th rd tier)
DB 4th round 123
Infante 133
Drafttek 149
SttM 151
NFLMDD 163
IC 176
AZS not ranked
 
FirstandTen continues to update their big board. Shuler, who I noted just a week ago was 79, is down to 88. Some other notable rankings:

1. Drew Mestemaker is their QB1. Dante Moore is only QB5 and Darian Mensah is QB7. There is a huge gap between Mensah and the next QB, Drake Lindsey, though Lindsey has jumped up almost a full round in the overall rankings and is at 91. The QB to watch is Austin Simmons who is still deep into Day 3, but has good tools, so by the end of the season it is possible that he could leapfrog some of the other QBs. He's likely to wait until 2028 but if he gains enough momentum, maybe he'd throw his hat into the 2027 draft and could really shake up the QB order.

2. Azzopardi, a RT that I like, has jumped up 60 slots since I wrote about him. Gone from being a late round guy to a middle round prospect on the board.

6. Trevor Lauck is the 6th ranked prospect. In a recent sim I did, he was the last "top tier" IOL prospect left on the board and fell all the way to the Rams at 64. Nick Marsh is 7th overall. Charlie Becker is 17th.

7. Anthonie Knapp is 23rd. Another OG who sometimes is there for the Rams at the end of the 2nd round.

8. Devon Thompkins from Alabama is 30th. Just another name to add to the crowded DT group of potential 1st round picks. He's ahead of David Stone at 37.

9. Zach Lutmer is 44th, a big jump from 82 when I wrote about him. Lutmer still misses a bunch of tackles but he's shown his versatility by playing quite a bit of deep safety this season. I think those reps will help him long term even though they might be "out of position" for a DB more likely to become a slot CB in the pro. I think NFL teams could be down on him, saying that he's "too small" to be an impact starter in the pros. He lacks muscle and effective length, so there are legitimate questions whether his game will translate to the next level.

10. DJ Vonnahme is 64th, exactly matching what in an ideal situation would be the Rams draft slot if we won the Super Bowl. If he entered and draft and actually was projected in this area, it would be an interesting direction to go for the Rams. He's not a finished product, but IMO Vonnahme has the upside to become a TE1 on our roster and one of the centerpiece offensive weapons on the team. I remain skeptical about the odds he'll declare this year.

11. Boubacar Traore is 68th. Damon Wilson Jr. is 87. So, there could be some interesting EDGE rushers available even if the Rams are at the bottom of the 2nd round.

12. Ryan Wingo is 98th. Mario Craver is 106 and Wyatt Young is 125th. So, 3 "big name" WRs who at one time seemed unlikely to still be available at slot 64, per F&T's big board would all be big reaches if the Rams drafted one of them in the 2nd round.
 
I feel that the F&T board sets up better for the "trade up" strategy. If the Rams just sit where they are and make their 4 selections in the F&T simulator, what can happen is you end up with lower tier prospects at each position you draft.

At least on paper (granted that things often don't turn out how you predict, players don't pan out, they get injured, etc.) seems like the better outcome would be if you moved up and grabbed one "tier 1" prospect instead of spreading yourself thin and risking coming out of the draft with zero impact starters.
 
F&T simulation, using their updated board rankings:

2nd round (pick 64): Drake Lindsey, QB. 91st on F&T board. I know this would be an extremely controversial move and fans would be upset if the Rams actually did this. Just think about it from this perspective. Why would I draft a player at a different position that I gave a 3rd round grade ahead of a QB (the most important position) that I have as a 1st round prospect? Remember, this is the very last draft slot in the 2nd round. The way F&T's board shook out, the draft doesn't "fall to us" here, there aren't a ton of great alternatives. I don't have a 1st round grade on say a guard or a WR or DB here.

Some QBs drafted in this area of the draft: Carson Beck (65), Hendon Hooker (68), Desmond Ridder (74), Kyle Trask (64), Kellen Mond (66), Davis Mills (67), Mason Rudolph (76), Christian Hackenberg (57). Is Lindsey on the same tier as those guys? Let's take Kyle Trask as an example. I had a 4th round grade on Trask in his draft class. I thought that Hooker was vastly overrated. I might have had Mond in like the 5th round, don't exactly remember.

Asking me to pass on a tier 1 QB prospect to get a lower tier player at a different position, that is a big ask and a bridge too far. I refuse. I don't think it is a logical move. We drafted Sean Mannion in the 3rd round to be a backup QB. All of the guys I listed in the paragraph above, they either became backup QB candidates or they flopped and washed out of the NFL. So, even if a team only gets a good backup QB at 64, this is still a good draft outcome. I don't care if fans don't like it, IMO it is the smart play based on F&T's board.

4th round (pick 128) Christian Alliegro, LB, 159 on the board. Linebacker isn't a "sexy" pick, but I think this guy is a starter. Good pass rusher, smart and tough, immediate boost to help run defense.

5th round (pick 160) Nyck Harbor, WR, 156 on board. Listed as a WR, but I'm taking him here with the intention of trying to turn him into a flexed TE. This is the very last pick in the 5th round. Consider that in 2016, the Rams drafted Temarrick Hemingway at slot 177, about half a round after this slot. There was a hybrid TE named Elijah Higgins that I liked who a late 6th round pick in 2023 by the Dolphins. They waived him as a rookie and immediately lost him to a waiver claim, becoming a wasted pick for them. He's now with the Cardinals. Davis Allen was pick 175. At this slot, the expectations for Harbor would be very low. He just has to stay on the roster, even if it is just as a backup WR or TE.

6th round (pick 192) Devin McCuin, WR, 217 on board. There are other players I could have taken here but I went with McCuin to switch things up. McCuin doesn't have return experience in college, but Ohio State considered him as a candidate to return punts this season and he has the right traits, so might be a candidate to return kicks and punts in the pros.
 
Looking at Drafttek's team page for the Rams, these were the picks they list as the biggest reaches the Rams made since 2017 (I'm not including the late round selections, because there can be big numbers for those guys once you get to that area of the draft.) "Reach" means the difference between the slot the player was picked and how they were ranked on Drafttek's big board. If the number is more negative, it means it was a bigger reach.

John Johnson, -55
Puka Nacua, -59
Ernest Jones, -60
Tutu Atwell, -69
Van Jefferson, -74
Keagen Trost, -74
Jacob Harris, -88
Decobie Durant, -89
Brian Allen, -98
John Franklin-Myers, -105
Stetson Bennett, -132
 
Twopointtry said:
Looking at Drafttek's team page for the Rams, these were the picks they list as the biggest reaches the Rams made since 2017 (I'm not including the late round selections, because there can be big numbers for those guys once you get to that area of the draft.) "Reach" means the difference between the slot the player was picked and how they were ranked on Drafttek's big board. If the number is more negative, it means it was a bigger reach.

John Johnson, -55
Puka Nacua, -59
Ernest Jones, -60
Tutu Atwell, -69
Van Jefferson, -74
Keagen Trost, -74
Jacob Harris, -88
Decobie Durant, -89
Brian Allen, -98
John Franklin-Myers, -105
Stetson Bennett, -132
Click to expand...
Turns out a lot of them weren't really reaches. There's three true disappointments on the list (Atwell and Jefferson being second-round picks, Harris being a complete bust.), and I'm hoping that Trost isn't one of them.

However, JJ3, Nacua, Jones, Durant, JFM (still so bitter we didn't keep him) and Allen are (were, in Allen's and JJ3's case) really good players, and Bennett's not exactly a bust. Allen was a starter for a time, and that's a win as a fourth-round pick. JJ3 was a great safety for a time. Durant is a solid ballhawking corner. Jones is an excellent linebacker. JFM is a great run-stopping defensive lineman in the league and he can chip in a few sacks as well. Bennett will likely be a backup in this league for a while, and as a fourth-round pick, that's still pretty good.

And Puka Nacua...is Puka Nacua.

Turns out it doesn't matter if the player's supposedly a reach; you try to take talent where you can get it, and if the player on the board is the best on it, you take him.
 
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One of the biggest risers so far this season has been Devan Thompkins, a DL from Alabama. He's a 5th year player who transferred from USC. He was one of the top DL transfers in the portal.

His uncle, Larry Grant, was a LB who once played for the Rams. Grant was a 7th round pick by the Niners out of Ohio State. Grant started about half of the 2010 season for the Rams, playing for Steve Spagnuolo.

You can track Thompkins's stunning draft rise by his placement on the NFLMDD consensus big board. In July, he was ranked in the 900's. In August, he suddenly jumped to 90. Then, he slipped and was 256 (basically the very end of the draft) by the middle of September. Today (October 6th) he is 50th and he's a 1st round mock per Justin Melo (SI), Ryan Wilson (CBS) and First and Ten, listed with a middle to late 1st round projection. Melo had him 21st overall.

Other boards and experts remain all over the map regarding him:

Brian Bosarge (July of 2026) potential early round prospect
AtoZ Sports 65
Drafttek 67 (up 108 spots)
Tankathon 94
Jacob Infante 110
Ian Cummings 115
Buffalo Fambase 146
Fanspeak consensus board 147
PFF not ranked in simulator
Draftscout UDFA
Shane Hallam 7-round mock (July 2026) not selected, UDFA
Sam Teets not ranked and not listed as a player to study
DraftBuzz not ranked

Thompkins didn't like football as a kid and hardly played at all through HS. He was a basketball player and recruited for hoops, but says he was "forced" to play football his SR year by his family. His older brother played football and Grant, his uncle, also was influential in getting him to switch sports. He hardly had any stats as a SR, but still got offers, because he was tall. He says he weighed 210 to 215 pounds as a SR. He says he gained 60 pounds his first year at USC.

Thompkins didn't play much until 2024. In 2 years of substantial playing time for USC, he only had 4.5 total sacks. He's listed as 6'5'' tall and 300 pounds. While boards list him as a 3-tech DT, he sometimes plays as a DE for Alabama. He also filled in on a part-time basis as a DE for USC. He started out at DE at USC, then grew into a DL as he got bigger.

He's not very explosive and his technique is still a bit raw but he's a strong, muscular player with good length. I don't know whether I like this guy or not, haven't watched enough film, but over the years NFL teams have tended to draft players like this relatively high. Teams like size and strength. Darius Robinson from Mizzou, the 27th overall pick in 2024, would be an example.
 
Another player who could be poised to appear "from out of nowhere" on draft boards is Dylan Sikorski, who plays LG for Texas. He's a big boy, listed as 6'4'' and 335 pounds. Questionable whether he'd declare for the draft, because he's only a 3rd year player, a redshirt sophomore. He played DL in 2024 then had knee surgery for a meniscus injury. He's burst on the scene in 2026 with good pass protection, pad level and play strength. He's not overly quick or explosive but has excellent size and plays with a very good base. He's 642nd on NFLMDD and 203 on F&T. DS lists him as a 2029 draft prospect.

If he jumped into the draft, he might get picked surprisingly early. Compare him head-to-head with Steve Avila. If those 2 guys were in the same draft, which one would you choose? Then consider that Avila was drafted 36th overall, an early 2nd round pick.

I think the guard draft pool is already very stacked with great talent, but Sikorski becomes an early entrant, it will only get deeper. Brandon Baker, the RG for Texas, is the better-known prospect but by the time we get to the actual draft, it is possible that Sikorski will end up being the higher ranked player.
 
Instead of using a simulator, I took the most recent Drafttek mock (the Rams have 4 picks) and made different selections. After each name is the number for the slot where the player went in the mock.

2nd round (pick 64) Anthonie Knapp, OG. [77] Tough call, because I really like Zach Lutmer [88] too, but let's build out the OL. Drew Azzopardi [83] goes early in this mock, Ahmad Hardy [74] and KVA [72] are both available. Devan Thompkins [75] I just mentioned, Nyck Harbor [76] and Mario Craver [79] are there. Wendell Gregory [80] is talented but has off-field red flags. CJ Carr [108] and Drake Lindsey [256] are both available, but let's not stir the QB pot at this slot.

4th round (pick 133) Isaiah Sategna, WR. [137] Drafttek gave us a LB, Drayk Bowen, from ND at this slot. Sategna instantly would become our new punt returner. Since this is the last pick in the 4th round, if you got a pure PR here and he never plays WR, it isn't that bad of a draft outcome. Charlie Jones (pick 131 in 2023) is an example, because in 3 seasons with the Bengals he had a total of 8 catches for 69 yards, so instead of drafting a WR, it would have been just as accurate to have said the Bengals drafted a PR and KR at that slot. We could have gone Cooper Barkate here if we wanted a different WR.

5th round (pick 168) Justin Evans, C [171] I don't have a big problem with drafting Greene, because he could play RT or maybe slide inside to G, but since we got Knapp earlier, let's go with a different OL position. For salary cap reasons, we are going cheap for IOL, so Knapp and Evans could become rookie starters. If we doubled up on WRs, there are multiple interesting candidates and the one that I'd push for here would be Griffin Wilde [203].

6th round (pick 212) Drake Lindsey, QB [256] Tom Brady was pick 199 in his draft. When I saw where he was taken, I honestly thought that he must have gotten arrested or failed a drug test and I had missed it, because I couldn't understand why he was taken so late. I thought he was going to be a 1st round pick. In this mock, Jayden Maiava [239] is also on the board. There are other players I like at this slot as well. Even if in our "fake war room" other voices win the day and block a QB pick earlier in the draft, I'm putting my foot down here. Just as the Pats drafted Brady to groom with the hopes that he'd eventually become the 2nd string QB behind Drew Bledsoe, let's take Lindsey here to be the "backup". It is the very end of the 6th round. Will you at least grant me that? A solid backup at this slot would be a steal.
 
Draftbuzz simulation, using DB board.

Pick 52 (2nd round) David Stone, DT. When discussing the Rams trading up into the 1st round, this was one of the potential targets. Stone is a potential top 10 overall prospect. With the Rams drafting a little higher in this simulator and using their board, Stone falls all the way to the Rams without having to trade up. Entering this season, Stone was the 8th ranked player on Teets's big board.

Pick 122 (4th round) Luke Reynolds, TE. He has flown up some draft boards. Both Drafttek and Jordan Reid for ESPN rank him as the 3rd best TE. Teets already had him ranked high prior to the season, 67th overall, on the 3rd round tier. In other words, if we had Ferguson, Klare and Reynolds all on the roster, there'd be legitimate questions about which one of the 3 would become the true TE1 for the Rams. The problem is none of the 3 are great at blocking. We might have to find a cheap blocking-specialist TE to round out the room.

Pick 158 (5th round) Drew Azzopardi, OT. A 3rd rd pick in the Drafttek mock.

Pick 198 (6th round) Christian Alliegro, LB. In Drafttek's mock, he's pick 43, which is higher than the Rams are picking in the DB simulator. Basically, we got 4 players who probably should have been gone by the end of the 3rd round. DJ Vonnahme was available here and he might become a better TE in the NFL than Reynolds, but I question whether he'll enter the draft.
 
FirstandTen simulation

2nd round, 63, Xavier Gilliam, DT, Tennessee. Flying up draft board. Could he be the next Kobie Turner? Or better?

4th round, 127. Suntarine Perkins, QB stopper. I don't know what to list as his defensive position. Is he an EDGE rusher? A stacked LB? A box safety? We just got torched by Josh Allen, because we struggled to contain him when he started to scramble. Perkins might be the best defender in all of college football at spying an athletic QB. I believe that as we move into the future, preventing long QB scrambles will become just as valuable, maybe even more valuable, than getting sacks.

5th round, 129, Xavier Scott, DB. Similar to Perkins, I don't know whether to call Scott a CB or a S. If he hadn't gotten injured in 2025, maybe he'd be drafted pretty high.

6th round, 191, Wayne Knight, RB. Even if Knight never did anything for the Rams other than return kickoffs, he potentially could justify this draft slot. Mighty mouse.
 
After watching some plays on Dante Moore, the Oregon QB, even if we completely ignore his serious concussion and focus exclusively on his performance, there are some red flags on his tape. I feel there is a strong argument that Ty Simpson would have been the superior draft prospect if both of those QBs had been in the 2026 draft class and remember that Moore was projected to be the number 1 overall pick in 2027 entering this season. I'd have to watch more games to do a full evaluation but there are errors by Moore with his throwing mechanics and how he's processing the coverage that bother me.
 
Twopointtry said:
th round, 127. Suntarine Perkins, QB stopper. I don't know what to list as his defensive position. Is he an EDGE rusher? A stacked LB? A box safety? We just got torched by Josh Allen, because we struggled to contain him when he started to scramble. Perkins might be the best defender in all of college football at spying an athletic QB. I believe that as we move into the future, preventing long QB scrambles will become just as valuable, maybe even more valuable, than getting sacks.
Click to expand...
Josh Allen made Landman look like he was in quicksand when scrambling by him.

Landman should not be the last resort in stopping a scrambling QB.
 
Even though Texas beat Ole Miss, I still thought that Arch Manning played very poorly. To me, he's a Day 3 prospect. He probably needs to stay in school for another year and wait for the 2028 draft.
 
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