Watch: Rams scouts evaluate Chris Garrett, ‘one of the best pass rushers in Division II history’

With their final pick in the 2021 NFL draft, the Los Angeles Rams added one of the most productive pass rushers in the entire class. It’s just that Chris Garrett’s numbers came at the Division II level at Concordia-St. Paul and not in the FBS like most prospects.

But Garrett was absolutely dominant in college, setting records and consistently wreaking havoc against opponents as both a pass rusher and run defender. In 28 games, Garrett had 36.5 sacks, 48.5 tackles for a loss and forced a D-II record 15 fumbles. He led the country in sacks with 14 in 2019, proving to be almost unblockable.

In the latest episode of “Inside the Draft,” Rams scouts and personnel evalutors shared what made Garrett so intriguing despite being a small-school prospect.

“He’s one of the highest – he’s basically one of the best pass rushers in Division II history, so we’re hoping for the best. He’s got to earn it. He’s got to create his own role and go from there,” senior personnel executive Brian Xanders said.

“I mean, this kid absolutely dominated his league,” scout Chance Trickett said. “He has 36.5 career sacks and 15 forced fumbles. And then when you watch the tape, his pass-rush production is what really gets him on the radar. He’s got good burst off the line of scrimmage, and his counter pass rush with violent hands is really what the recipe is for pass-rush production.”

Garrett won’t be handed a roster spot. As a seventh-round pick, he’ll have to fight his way onto the team. He’ll be behind Leonard Floyd, Terrell Lewis, Ogbonnia Okoronkwo and Justin Hollins to start, and overtaking any of them will be tough.

But he knows how to rush the passer. It’ll just take some time for him to make the jump from D-II to the NFL.