The Rams, with the 19th pick in Thursday’s NFL draft, have to reimagine their defense with the retirement last month of future Hall of Famer Aaron Donald
Texas’ Byron Murphy II, clockwise from top left, Illinois’ Jer’Zhan Newton, UCLA’s Laiatu Latu and Florida State’s Jared Verse are potential first-round options for the Rams’ defense in Thursday’s NFL draft. For the past 10 years, the Rams’ defense has revolved around Aaron Donald. That’s what happens when a defensive lineman commands as much attention as the future Hall of Famer did, sometimes drawing three or even four blockers on a given play.
Turner said Monday he plans on working on three-tech this offseason after primarily playing nose next to Donald a year ago, so the combo of Murphy and Turner could be interchangeable and give the Rams options to mix up their fronts. The Rams could opt to focus on an edge rusher in the first round instead of tackle. Two expected to be in their range at No. 19 are Florida State’s Jared Verse and. The former Bruins star is an explosive prospect, with 23.5 sacks in two seasons with the Bruins, but his history with a neck injury could give teams pause. Verse has a good combination of speed and strength that, paired with his football IQ, make him a dangerous edge rusher.
The Rams could still get value along the defensive front with pick No. 52 in the second round; Florida State DT Braden Fiske, Michigan DT Kris Jenkins, Alabama edge Chris Braswell and Utah edge Jonah Elliss come to mind. The options thin out a bit in the third round, where the Rams are selecting at No. 83 and No. 99, but Clemson edge Xavier Thomas and Troy edge Javon Solomon could be worth monitoring.
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