The Los Angeles Rams are going to look very different in 2023 than they did last season. We’re already getting a taste of that after the team released Leonard Floyd and Bobby Wagner, and then agreed to trade Jalen Ramsey to the Dolphins on Sunday.
All of these moves signal a youth movement coming in Los Angeles, but the Ramsey deal in particular will have a ripple effect at multiple positions. Not only are the Rams now thin at cornerback, but they added a tight end in the process by trading Ramsey.
So how does the Ramsey deal impact the team’s draft plans? Let’s start at cornerback, which is now one of the Rams’ biggest offseason needs – even more so than it was before Ramsey got dealt.
The depth chart currently has Cobie Durant, Derion Kendrick and Robert Rochell penciled in as the starters. David Long Jr. and Troy Hill are both pending free agents, and neither Shaun Jolly nor Grant Haley are proven players in the NFL.
Now that Ramsey is gone, cornerback could be the position Los Angeles targets at No. 36 overall. It’s a strong draft class at that position and there will be at least one or two immediate-impact corners available in the second round. Deonte Banks, Kelee Ringo and Emmanuel Forbes could all be potential targets in Round 2.
And now with an extra third-rounder at No. 77 overall, which Miami is giving the Rams in return for Ramsey, Los Angeles could decide to double-dip at cornerback by using two of their first four picks on the position.
Obviously, they still need pass rushers, defensive line help and offensive linemen, but cornerback is way up there on their list of needs now.
The other position impacted by this trade is tight end. The Rams landed Hunter Long in the Ramsey trade, and though he has just one career catch in two seasons, the Rams obviously like him and he’s a former third-round pick.
It’s unlikely that the Rams will feel so comfortable with Long that they’ll cut Tyler Higbee and make him the starter, but there’s no doubt Long changes the outlook a little bit at tight end heading into 2023.
Rather than prioritizing tight end the way some expected the Rams to, they might elect to wait a little bit and give Long a shot to show he can be a long-term solution if Higbee is cut. This is an excellent tight end class, so the Rams should still take at least one in the top 100, but maybe they’ll choose to pass on someone like Luke Musgrave or Darnell Washington if they’re there at No. 36.
Put simply, cornerback becomes a much bigger need for the Rams and tight end might get bumped down a spot or two on their list of priority positions after this trade. They should still draft a player at each spot before the fifth round, but cornerback is a huge hole now.
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