Grading each of the Rams’ 14 picks in the 2023 NFL draft
The Los Angeles Rams came into the 2023 NFL draft with 11 total picks, among the most in the NFL. They’re leaving Kansas City with 14 new rookies after trading back multiple times and moving up once.
It’s a massive draft class for a team that only had 44 players on the roster, so there were plenty of spots to fill – and Les Snead’s group is doing exactly that. The Rams hit on just about all of their primary needs, too: cornerback, edge rusher, offensive line, tight end.
Unlike in some recent years, there was a positive sentiment about this draft class for Los Angeles. Obviously, it’s still so early in the process and we won’t know how these players turn out for another two to three years, but the Rams seem to have come away with some potential impact rookies in 2023.
Below is the complete draft class with grades for every pick.
36. Steve Avila, OL, TCU
It’s easy to like this pick for the Rams, not only because it’s a relatively safe pick. They needed offensive line help and Avila was one of the two best available, depending which big board you look at. What gives him an edge over a lot of the other offensive line prospects is his versatility.
He played over 1,000 snaps at left guard and more than 1,000 at center, so he has experience at both spots. He also played right guard and right tackle in college, too.
The Rams are getting a bully in the run game and a blocker with a powerful base in pass protection, which allows him to hold up against stronger defensive linemen. He didn’t allow a single sack for TCU last season, showing just how good he is as a pass blocker.
Grade: A
77. Byron Young, OLB, Tennessee
Young was viewed as the best pass rusher left on the board at No. 77, so the Rams are getting a good value in Round 3. Sure, there are concerns about his limited time at the FBS level after playing just two seasons at Tennessee, and he is already 25 years old, but Young can be an impact player early on.
He’s one of the most impressive athletes in the class, possessing 4.43 speed, a 38-inch vertical and an 11-foot broad jump, all of which ranked among the best at his position at the combine. He’s not the biggest edge rusher at 6-foot-2 and 250 pounds, but he uses his speed off the edge to beat tackles, turning it into power when he does use a bull rush move.
There’s a lot to work with here, which is what makes Young an exciting pick for the Rams. He fills a position of need, has some upside and should help early on. The biggest worry is his age, coming into the NFL at 25.
Grade: B+
89. Kobie Turner, DT, Wake Forest
Turner should be a good pro after a productive career at Richmond and Wake Forest. However, as promising as he is, there were some other players on the board who may have been able to help the Rams more. Those players include Siaki Ika, Kelee Ringo, Adetomiwa Adebawore and Darius Rush, among others.
Turner was a lesser-known prospect for fans because he didn’t attend the combine, so he didn’t get the chance to show off his quickness or athleticism in Indianapolis. But when you turn on the tape, you see a player who disrupts the offense by using his agility to get into the backfield and reroute running backs in the hole.
There isn’t a clear path to playing time for Turner right now because he plays the same position as Aaron Donald, but he can at least rotate in when Donald needs a breather on defense. In terms of value, the Rams may have been able to get Turner a bit later, but it’s hard to say he would’ve been there at their next pick, No. 128.
Grade: C+
128. Stetson Bennett, QB, Georgia
Bennett projects as a career backup in the NFL, given his lack of size and advanced age (25). He doesn’t have a big arm and isn’t overly accurate, but he’s athletic enough to extend plays and throws with decent anticipation, which should allow him to stick around as a QB2 for years.
The problem is, the Rams used a fourth-round pick on him, which makes it feel like a little bit of a reach. Most analysts had him going in the sixth or later, with some even believing he could go undrafted. But Les Snead saw his guy sitting there and swooped in.
Bennett and Matthew Stafford already have a little bit of a relationship as former Georgia Bulldogs, so that could help him from a leadership and locker room perspective. But it’s hard to see Bennett as the Rams’ future starter, even if Stafford retires in two years.
Grade: C-
161. Nick Hampton, OLB, Appalachian State
Hampton could end up being a steal for the Rams on Day 3, but he’s not a perfect prospect by any means. He’s slightly undersized at 6-foot-2, which limits his potential as an all-around edge defender, particularly against the run.
However, he’s athletic and has good bend around the corner, which allows him to generate pressure consistently on the quarterback. The Rams absolutely needed pass-rush help and Hampton certainly provides that. He should at least get a chance to rush on third downs as a rookie.
Grade: B+
174. Warren McClendon Jr., OT, Georgia
McClendon doesn’t necessarily have the length to hold up as a full-time tackle, but he did excel at that position at Georgia. He didn’t allow a single sack last season and gave up just one hit as their starting right tackle, only giving up seven total hurries.
He never played guard in college but he might have to move inside at the next level due to his size. If he remains at right tackle, he could potentially replace Rob Havenstein in a few years.
Grade: B+
175. Davis Allen, TE, Clemson
A 6-foot-6 tight end with a 38.5-inch vertical and massive catch radius? Yes please. Allen doesn’t have the wheels some other tight ends do, running a 4.84 in the 40-yard dash, but he has good hands and comes down with contested catches fairly regularly.
He’s particularly good in the red zone as a jump-ball weapon in the end zone, more so than Tyler Higbee is at this point in his career. He’s a great value in the fifth round and likely would’ve gone much sooner if this wasn’t a great TE class.
Grade: A-
177. Puka Nacua, WR, BYU
Nuka struggled to stay healthy in college, playing just six games in his first two games at Washington and nine games last season at BYU. However, he is fairly versatile despite not being a fantastic athlete. He was BYU’s leading receiver in back-to-back seasons and also rushed for 357 yards the last two years, scoring five touchdowns on the ground.
The Rams like to hand the ball off to their receivers on jet sweeps, so Nacua could get some opportunities there. However, he’s not the quickest or fastest receiver, which causes him to struggle against man coverage.
Grade: B-
182. Tre'Vius Hodges-Tomlinson, CB, TCU
This is one of the Rams’ best picks in the entire draft. Hodges-Tomlinson is the Jim Thorpe Award winner as the nation’s top defensive back, allowing a completion rate of only 34.6% last season on 81 targets.
He’s clearly undersized at 5-foot-8, but the Rams found a role for Nickell Robey-Coleman in 2018 and he excelled as a slot defender. There’s no reason to believe Hodges-Tomlinson can’t do the same after an excellent career at TCU. He has the speed, athleticism and ball skills you want to see in a cornerback.
Grade: A
189. Ochaun Mathis, OLB, Nebraska
Mathis doesn’t have the upside that the Rams’ other two edge rushers, Young and Hampton, possess on the outside. He has limited athleticism with 4.74 speed and a 33.5-inch vertical, though his 10-yard split of 1.59 seconds was quite good for a player his size.
At 6-foot-5 and 250 pounds with long 35-inch arms, Mathis can set the edge and hold up against the run better than some other edge rushers can, but he has some work to do before he becomes a starter. He only had 3.5 sacks in 12 games last season at Nebraska.
Grade: C+
215. Zach Evans, RB, Ole Miss
Evans has legitimate starter potential, especially in the Rams’ scheme. He has the size and physicality to run between the tackles and shake off defenders with a vicious stiff-arm, but he also has breakaway speed, as evidenced by his 6.5 yards per carry average last season.
In a relatively deep running back class, Evans fell a bit further than expected, but the Rams refused to let him slip any longer by trading up 37 spots to land the Ole Miss back. He and Cam Akers will give the Rams a quality tandem, along with Kyren Williams potentially working as a receiving back.
As a sixth-round pick, the value is good here – much better than the Rams taking a running back in the third or fourth rounds.
Grade: A-
223. Ethan Evans, P, Wingate
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Evans is a Division II punter. So let’s be honest, none of us have actually watched him, and most of us haven’t even heard of Wingate University.
What I do know is the Rams needed a punter and now they have one, so that’s good.
Grade: C
234. Jason Taylor II, S, Oklahoma State
Taylor feels like the Rams’ type of safety. He’s a smart, experienced player who can line up at multiple spots. Last season alone, he played 193 snaps in the slot, 234 in the box and 433 in the deep part of the field. That’s the type of versatility the Rams could use in their secondary.
He did have a missed tackle rate of 14.7% and was a tad overaggressive in his pursuit angles, but he only allowed 28 receptions on 51 targets last season with a passer rating of 54.7. PFF ranked him 168th overall and NFL.com gave him a fourth-round grade, so the value is good.
Grade: A-
259. Desjuan Johnson, DL, Toledo
(Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images)
Johnson is a similar size to Turner, who the Rams drafted in the third round. They’re both about 6-foot-2 and 285 pounds, but Johnson has shorter arms and primarily fits as a 3-technique without much position versatility. That position is currently occupied by Aaron Donald, who will play at least one more season with Los Angeles.
Johnson is a powerful player, though, and does make his way into the backfield, which is what earned him All-MAC honors in 2022. He can play, but it would have been good to see the Rams add some more versatility to the D-line.
Grade: C+
