One of the Rams’ most important moves of the offseason was the re-signing of Andrew Whitworth. The two sides agreed to a three-year deal, potentially keeping Whitworth until he’s 41 years old.
Despite being past his prime, Whitworth was still the Rams’ best option at left tackle for 2020. Retaining him was huge for Sean McVay, Jared Goff and the entire locker room, allowing the Rams to continue searching for a future replacement at left tackle.
In Luke Easterling’s 2021 mock draft for Draft Wire, they may have done just that. In the second round of the mock, the Rams select Thayer Munford from Ohio State. Munford doesn’t get a ton of attention for Ohio State, but he’s a very important piece of the offense.
He could have entered the draft last year, but he opted to stay with the Buckeyes for his senior year and he could benefit by improving his stock.
He started 26 games in the last two seasons and has played 38 total games in his career. He earned second-team All-Big Ten honors last season and was an honorable mention in 2018, so he’s played at a high level the last two years.
He has the size and length teams desire at left tackle, standing 6-foot-6 and 315 pounds. while not a perfectly refined prospect, he does have high upside.
If the Rams were to draft him next year, he’d likely have to sit for at least one year, assuming Whitworth doesn’t retire after next season. If Whitworth does retire, Munford would compete with Joseph Noteboom and Bobby Evans at left tackle.