Los Angeles Rams NFL Mock Draft Roundup 3.0

Time is of the essence for 2025 MVP Matthew Stafford. The Rams add another flyer to his arsenal.

Is Terrell a nickelback-only at the next level? Can he also play outside? I see a complete corner who can cover and is willing to tackle, as well.

The Rams' biggest need by far this offseason is outside cornerback, and it might be one they address in free agency or a trade. Rather than force the position right after the top two options went off the board, the Rams instead pivot to an underrated need at the third wide receiver spot. With Puka Nacua and Davante Adams in high-volume roles, the Rams must find better insurance for those engines than they had last season. Unlike Tutu Atwell, Lemon can find his way onto the field because he's extremely physical and a strong blocker, which matters so much to Sean McVay. Lemon took his game to another level last season with 1,156 yards and 11 touchdowns. He's a perfect future Adams replacement who can duplicate enough of Nacua to manage his snap share and volume load, too.

The Rams avoided the urge to fill their biggest need when the board didn't line up at No. 13, but it falls into place here. Hood is a force in press-man and contested catch-and-run defense settings, bringing a different flavor to what the Rams tried out at this spot last season in Emmanuel Forbes Jr. Los Angeles has a nice track record with draft acquisitions from Tennessee, including linebacker Byron Young and safety Jaylen McCollough. If Hood can be a CB2 from the jump, it could set the Rams and, notably, their pass rush up to take a leap on this side of the ball.

Jermod McCoy missed the 2025 season due to a torn ACL, which could ultimately lead to him going much later than this, but he was fantastic for Tennessee in 2024. He's a very good athlete who moves well and looks fluid in coverage. He's not a great tackler, which could also knock him down some boards, but I like the upside here.

Monroe Freeling doesn't have a wealth of experience, so there's a lot of projection here based on his length and athleticism. The combine could see him fly up boards or drop, depending on how he performs, but for the moment, this feels like a logical landing spot.

The Rams had a good look at how the Seahawks deployed Nick Emmanwori with great success in his rookie year. McNeil-Warren offers L.A. its own playmaking, rangy safety, boosting a pass defense that has struggled in recent years. He teams with Kamren Kinchens and Quentin Lake to create a nice safety trio.

The Rams double down on the secondary in Round 1 with free agency threatening to eat into their DB depth. Emmanuel McNeil-Warren and Hood can both take the ball away.

The Rams have two first-round picks, and the tenor of their offseason would've changed dramatically if quarterback Matthew Stafford retired. But Stafford said he'll be back in 2026 during his MVP speech, making cornerback the primary need. Los Angeles learned the hard way last season that a strong front seven can't neutralize a capable passing game -- Jaxon Smith-Njigba combined for 354 receiving yards in three matchups against the Rams.

McCoy is a wild card. He is clearly talented enough to go in the top 10, but he missed the entire 2025 season after tearing an ACL last January. He's a long, confident and talented man-to-man cover corner who stood out in 2024 (four interceptions and seven passes defensed). If his medicals are fully on track, he'll go early.

A double-dip at cornerback for the Rams? And from the same college?! This would be the first instance of a team taking two players from the same school at the same position in the first round during the common draft era (since 1967), per ESPN Research. But I believe this move merits consideration given the overall strength of the Rams' roster and the vulnerability of their secondary. Hood didn't actually take any snaps on the field with McCoy, as he transferred to Tennessee prior to the 2025 season that McCoy sat out due to injury. But Hood more than made up for McCoy's void with 10 pass breakups this past season.

The Rams use the Falcons' first-round pick to take the brother of a Falcon. Terrell is undersized, which might be something the Rams want to move away from in their cornerback room, but his awareness, twitch and ball skills more than make up for his lack of bulk. He would immediately be the Rams' most talented back-seven player and his skill set would fit in Chris Shula's defense perfectly.

The Rams have reportedly poked around about moving up in the draft and selecting a pass-catcher high in recent years (Tetairoa McMillan in 2025, Brock Bowers in 2024), and this time they stand pat with their original selection and get Boston at the tail end of the first round. Boston is a big wide receiver with the skill set of a true "X" wide receiver who can win in isolated situations. He would give the Rams a behemoth starting wide receiver trio with Puka Nacua and Davante Adams to go along with their deep tight end room. A half-dozen power forwards with Matthew Stafford firing the football would be a dream, and give Nacua an ideal long-term running mate who would allow him to get moved around and used however Sean McVay wants.

The Rams might feel tempted to go after another weapon on offense. If Makai Lemon were still available, he'd be a no-brainer pick for them. So, the next best thing they can do to help Matthew Stafford out would be to get him some protection. I love Ioane. He didn't allow a sack in the last two years, and he might be the best interior offensive lineman in the draft.

The Rams have a few corners that are set to be free agents this offseason. So, why not bring in an All-American corner? Yes, I know it's another Clemson player going in the first round after its underwhelming season. That doesn't mean some of the Tigers' top players aren't NFL-caliber, though. Terrell is one of those guys and can play on the outside.