It’s expected to be an offense-heavy first round of the draft this year, with quarterbacks, wide receivers and offensive tackles likely making up a good portion of the top 32 picks. Given the state of the Rams’ roster, signs point toward Los Angeles going defense at No. 19 overall – either by selecting a cornerback, edge rusher or defensive tackle.
Players such as Laiatu Latu, Byron Murphy II and Chop Robinson have been popular selections in mock drafts, but Peter Schrager of NFL.com is going in a different direction with his pick for the Rams. In his hew first-round projection, he has the Rams selecting Oklahoma offensive tackle Tyler Guyton.
Not only that, but he just about guaranteed the Rams will take an offensive player at No. 19 if they don’t trade down.
I’ll go on record with something of a guarantee here: If the Rams do not trade back, you better believe Sean McVay’s first-ever first-round selection will be an offensive player. Los Angeles shored up its interior O-line in free agency. Guyton — a bit of a project, but someone who can play either tackle spot — gives Matthew Stafford another promising young guy to protect him in his 16th NFL season.
It’s worth noting that Schrager and Sean McVay are good friends, so Schrager could be speaking with some inside info when he makes this prediction. If there’s one organization he’s closely tied to, it’s the Rams.
There’s no doubt the defense has more immediate needs than the offense right now, but offensive tackle is a position the Rams should address at some point. Rob Havenstein is getting older and only has two years left on his contract. Alaric Jackson will play the 2024 season on a second-year tender, but he’ll become a free agent in 2025.
It’s possible the Rams will be looking for two new starting tackles next offseason and they don’t exactly have any players who look like future starters behind Jackson and Havenstein. Drafting Guyton this year would give him a year to be the swing tackle before potentially stepping in at either left or right tackle in 2025.
The Rams always draft with an eye on the next few years, which we saw with the selections of Joe Noteboom and Brian Allen in 2019. The selection of Guyton would be similar to those picks, only much earlier in the draft, of course.