Hey, Rams fans! Who are your favorite draft prospects?

I’ll share mine first, then it’s your turn

The final countdown has begun for Los Angeles Rams fans. In 24 hours the 2024 NFL Draft commences from Detroit, Michigan. Rumors are flying fast and furious, while well-coiffed pundits pontificate and prognosticate.

Here at Turf Show Times, community draftniks have been weighing in as well. If you tap into the Draft Page and FanPost sections, you find 200+ player profiles of varying depths. Many others have offered opinions and mock drafts as part of the forum. Today, I wanted to write about my favorite prospects.

Not a mock, just players whose film stands out and I’d like to see in horns. There is a coinciding draft slot, but it’s there just for a general idea. Since the Rams don’t have a Round 4 pick, #99 may be a little rich for players like Jordan Travis, Theo Johnson, and Mo Kamara, but they wouldn’t likely be around at #154.

Quarterback

#83 Spencer Rattler- South Carolina

Watching his senior film, I became a fan. He showed heart and guts carrying a struggling team. Has the functional NFL backup grade mobility and arm talent. Does have a history of WTF! throws, but also fits the ball into tight targets.

#99 Jordan Travis- Florida State

Athletic back-up candidate with arm talent and escapability. Can make all the short/mid throws, but ballooned deep throws to allow his big receivers to snatch them. Highly competitive and improved over his college years. Broken leg late in final season.

Running back

#83 Marshawn Lloyd- USC

Delicious blend of power and speed. Lloyd is blockily cut with a natural low center of gravity, at his best when he makes a decision and bursts through holes. He forced a 41% missed tackle rate last season. Good blocker and has potential/traits to catch passes.

#155 Tyrone Tracy- Purdue

Former starting grade wide receiver who posted elite testing numbers at the NFL Combine. Brings high-end kick return skills too. Not just an open-field dancer, Tracy is a tough inside runner. Needs polish, but is a ceiling compared to Cordarelle Patterson to strong?

UDFA George Holani- Boise State

Tough, competitive north/south runner with fine all-around game. Holani is a strong inside runner and played in a heavily-weighted inside/mid zone run scheme. Catches the ball and transitions down field fluidly. Has the nature of a good blocker, but could use play strength.

UDFA Michael Wiley- Arizona

Wiley can run, catch, and block. He also returned a few kickoffs and recorded tackles on special teams. Stood out at the Senior Bowl for his receiving and blocking prowess. Good size/speed prospect who’s more of a one-cut-and-go downhill runner.

Wide receiver

#19 Brian Thomas- LSU

Drafting Thomas would give the Rams a tremendous matchup advantage, the kind of playmaker that Round 1 is all about. He’s to able run past defenders and create his own separation and has the flexibility and hand/eye coordination for contested catches.

#52 Xavier Legette- South Carolina

Stellar speed/size/power prospect that plays a physical brand of football. Good open-field runner with a history of kickoff returns. Knows how to use his frame to shield defenders and aggressively goes after the ball. Very physical at catch point and high points well.

#83 Jalen McMillan- Washington

McMillan seems like he’s always open, he has the ability to recognize the soft areas of a zone and is competitive and fast enough to beat man. L.A. love’s those long crossing patterns and McMillan runs them very well. Has very good hands and varied route tree.

#154 Cornelius Johnson- Michigan

A sneaky good prospect, Johnson has superb size, speed, and length. Been a regular starter at since 2020. Strong hands, catches with arms extended and a good runner in space. Special teams contributor and did all the little things in Michigan’s run-centric offense.

#209 Jordan Whittington- Texas

He fits the Rams WR mold, position/formation versatile, good hands, physical play style, and a willing blocker. With all the Texas offensive weapons, in the clutch they targeted him. Add a history on special teams, including returns and you have a fine candidate for WR#4/5.

#254 David White- Western Carolina

Expecting some super long and fast physical freak with a sky-high ceiling? Just the opposite, an all-around prospect with a good floor. Great feet, was shouted out for his route running skills at Shrine Bowl. Has hand/eye coordination and catch-point physicality.

Tight end

#99 Theo Johnson- Penn State

Loaded with receiving potential, Johnson is a plus blocker with excellent form. When inline and matched against bigger defensive ends, he stays low, sets a wide base, and keeps his hands inside. As a receiver, shows good hands and more wiggle/speed than you expect.

#196 Tip Reiman- Illinois

Block-first prospect with an intriguing upside as a receiver. Reiman has a rare combination of size/athleticism. Strong blocking chops inline, also appears to move and strike well enough to fit into what L.A. does with its tight ends. Good depth candidate.

Offensive interior

#154 Roger Rosengarten- Washington

Close to dominant at the Senior Bowl, Rosengarten was actually the “blindside” protector in college. Superb first punch and strong clamping hands. Needs play strength work for pro anchor and a polish on lunging, but has a high floor as a swing player, both in or out.

#155 Brandon Coleman- TCU

Projected as a guard in the pros, Coleman has 30+ starts at left tackle. Upside as swing lineman, particularly in pass protection, has stellar wingspan, hand size, and powerful grip. Lacks plus lateral move skills, but shows footwork and linear burst to second level.

#254 Matt Lee- Miami

I know, Rams fans hate centers under 300 lb., but this kid can block. Lee is a very good pass blocker and plays with proper footwork, wide base and solid technique. He’s also very experienced in an inside zone/duo scheme and is adept on double teams

Tackle

#19 Olu Fashanu- Penn State

I think he’s the top tackle in the draft. At his best doing what today’s NFL left tackles get paid extremely well to do, pass block. Fashanu had a Round 1 grade last year, but decided to stay another college season and was named a consensus All-American.

#83 Kiran Amegadjie- Yale

Surprisingly good technique from small conference football. He could win simply on size and strength, but worked hard on foot and hand placement to get set in correct position. A traits and potential prospect with a strong base of physicality, tools, and athleticism.

#196 Caeden Wallace- Penn State

Over 2200+ offensive snaps, gave up only nine sacks and five QB hits. Wallace has improved his Pro Football Focus scores each of his college seasons. Worked out at guard in the Shrine Bowl, along with right and left tackle, receiving rave reviews and was singled out by The Athletic as one of the Top 15 performers.

Cornerback

#19 Terrion Arnold- Alabama

CB#1 prospects should not only have physical, athletic, and innate skill traits, they need a competitive alpha dog style, gambler’s mentality, and be confident to the point of cocky. At only 21, Arnold has them all and could be a long-time star.

#52 TJ Tampa- Iowa State

High floor prospect with a steady all-around game, no major weak spots. Very athletic. Deep experience in zone coverages and versatile in where he can be lined up. Appears comfortable when defending run or pass anywhere on the field. Strong tackler and blitzer.

#52 Max Melton- Rutgers

Stellar zone prospect with all the tools. Shows burst, long speed, length, read/react ability, and physical play style. His read/react and ball skills are top notch. Not the biggest guy, but is willing in run support. Even though a career starter, he was a regular on special teams.

#196 MJ Devonshire- Pittsburgh

Very long and athletic corner. Ball hawk with 31 passes broken up and eight interceptions. Played primarily press/man and easily flips open hips. I actually like his mid/short coverage better than deep work and think he could be a good zone player, he’s stickier underneath.

#217 Myles Harden- South Dakota

An aggressive play-style makes Harden a formidable, moveable defensive piece. When Harden’s been on the field, he’s very productive. Missed big parts of 2021 and 2022 with injury. Stellar athletically with strong ball skills and experienced in Cover3 zone.

Safety

#83 Jaden Hicks- Washington State

Raw and inexperienced with 26 college games, but is a hard-charging, aggressive player. Nice package of size, athleticism, and versatility, lined up all over the formation, Adept at both man/zone and pursues to the ball well. History of strong special team work.

#154 Beau Brade- Maryland

Brade has a nice well-rounded game. Good, not great athlete, has physicality to play in the box and on the line. Good zone defender that read/reacts, times up the ball, and is strong at the catch point. Plays clean, reportedly committed only three penalties in his career.

#209 Evan Williams- Oregon

Stocky build for a safety and plays the game like a linebacker. Very good short area quickness and change of direction. Flies to the ball. Good in pass coverage, but wingspan is lacking. Constant motor, aggression, and hustle with five years on special teams.

#254 Trey Taylor- Air Force

Aggressive enforcer mentality in an excellent size/seed/ agility package. Natural leader and tools to be a special teams warrior. Strong work in run support, but needs grooming in coverage. Better underneath than deep, would fit well into a big nickel package.

Inside linebacker

#154 Trevin Wallace- Kentucky

Flashes of playmaker potential sprinkled throughout his film, but needs quicker decision making and stack/shed work. Elite athlete with good length, ball, and pursuit skills. Good in pass coverage, both man and zone.

#155 Curtis Jacobs- Penn State

Plays like a safety/linebacker hybrid. Jacobs is not a thumper, but still solid vs. the run. Reads, finds the ball and pursues well, generally a good form tackler. Tasked with large areas in pass coverage and often lined up over the slot. Upgrades special teams.

#217 Tyrice Knight- UTEP

Probably the truest “Mike” linebacker of all the prospects. He’s not an uber-athlete, but tested well at the Combine, particularly his 10 yard split. Knight’s a thumper who patiently reads the flow of the ball and attacks it. Solid striker with good form and knockdown power.

Edge

#19 Chop Robinson- Penn State

Robinson is gifted athletically, named to the Feldman’s Freak list, tested wonderfully at the Combine, and more importantly, explodes with twitch on film. He’s a traits-based pick at 21 tears-old, having less than 1000 college snaps, only 2023, and not much film to scout.

#52 Bralen Trice- Washington

Forget the finesse, this a power player. Trice wins with an arsenal of pass rush moves and strong hand work technique. His awareness is very good and he gets a fair amount of stops by quickly reading and reacting if stymied and changing his pursuit angle to cut off the ball.

#99 Mo Kamara- Colorado State

Twitchy, bendy prospect who really turns the corner. While Kamara lacks the prototypical NFL height/length edge standards and be limited to pass rush specialist early, he plays relentlessly. In 49 games, he had 45.5 tackles for loss, 30.5 sacks, and forced five fumbles.

#154 Jalyx Hunt- Houston Christian

Hunt has the stellar physical and athletic traits to run-stop, rush the passer, and drop into coverage. Naturally witchy and fluid with burst and bend, coming from a small school, he needs technique work and a pro strength/conditioning program.

Undrafted Richard Jibunor- Troy

Very well put together with twitch, flexibility, and a hot motor. Jibunor shows burst, hand work, and bend. Could be an old school “buck” linebacker and line up with his hand in the dirt, stand up on the edge, or cover passes. Certainly athletic enough for special teams.

Defensive interior

#19 Byron Murphy- Texas

Cut thickly with a stout lower half, provides a natural low center of gravity. On the Feldman’s Freaks list for strength and athleticism, he has the “win early” trait that speaks to NFL success. Murphy explodes out of his stance pouncing on and forklifting blockers.

#99 Leonard Taylor- Miami

Five-star high school recruit, played three Miami seasons and never was “the guy”. I like Taylor and have a mid Round 3 grade on him, most pundits grade him later. He put on 20 lb. for 2023 to tap in at nose tackle and a pro strength/conditioning program is called for.

#196 Kristian Boyd- Northern Iowa

Small schooler with blocky build and stellar upper body strength (38 bench reps). Boyd uses natural low center of gravity and bursty get-off to collapse pockets. Has some juice in the pass rush, but mostly uses a bullrush and push/pull counter. Pursues well for big man.

#254 Fabian Lovett- Florida State

Lovett does not have playmaker written all over him. What he brings is a powerful and tenacious edge, whether mauling and grappling to hold his gap or penetrating and engulfing ball carriers. He’s willing to do the dirty work so others can shine.

Who are your draft favorites?

It doesn’t have to be a mock unless you want. Doesn’t even have to be a fit with the Rams, just some your favorite overall candidates, draft position be damned. If I see a consensus in the replies, I’ll tie it into my “final mock draft” article tomorrow.