LA Rams pre-draft meeting tracker: aggressively pursuing 2021 talent

Here we are, heading into April 2021 and the biggest focus on the horizon is the 2021 NFL Draft. By now you’ve already decided who the LA Rams should select. But history proves that the LA Rams will more than likely choose players that we either had not considered or may have overlooked. Before a single snap is played, somebody will be disappointed.

Perhaps the best way to avoid the inevitable what-are-they-doing? reactions come draft day is not to get so wrapped up in the ‘who’ the LA Rams draft as to focus upon which position?  The LA Rams have been evaluating talent for the 2021 NFL Draft for some time and as it turns out, they do a pretty good job of it. There are bound to be some curveballs along the way.

But after all the dust settles and the Rams have assembled their 90-man roster, it all seems to somehow make sense. The LA Rams have been one of the most successful teams at finding contributors among undrafted free agents, and that will likely resume as soon as NFL teams are given a green light to conduct organized team activities (OTAs) and a more normal training camp this year. Then, we will all have a chance of meeting who the Rams have signed first hand.

And perhaps we will warm up to the names we didn’t recognize when their name was called out.

After all, in the end, I know I have been wrong about some drafted players who seemed to have all the right skillsets to succeed in the NFL. Haven’t we all? But the Rams cannot afford to be so human this year. To make sure that they get it right, the LA Rams are already making their rounds and conducting pre-draft meetings with prospects.

Let’s meet up

So do pre-draft meetings dictate what a team’s true priorities are for an upcoming NFL Draft? Or are they a smokescreen, and sleight-of-hand to distract other teams from the true targets for that draft? Per reports registered so far, the LA Rams have met with 12 2021 NFL Draft prospects so far. And with the acceptance that there may be more as yet not reported, or reported and missed, this is still a pretty heavy dose of virtual how-do-you-dos.

Of course, the format and limits to the team-prospect meeting have changed, running very similar to the new format imposed in 2020 after the coronavirus pandemic outbreak. For a detailed breakdown of what NFL teams can and cannot do, you should check out the NFL Memo details pre-draft rules at NFL.com.

In years past, NFL teams could only bring 30 prospects to the team facility for direct testing and examination. But all direct contact with prospects is prohibited in 2021, while the number of virtual meetings is not capped.

First of all, many thanks to Justin Melo of the Draft Network for tracking and reporting on each virtual meeting. He’s certainly worth a follow on Twitter. He has been tirelessly broadcasting which prospect has met with whom. In the absence of stock 2020 video on many players, his work has connected talent to NFL teams that would not otherwise be possible.

Where will the Rams go in the draft?

So how do these meetings fall in terms of which positions?  Six pre-draft interviews were reported with offensive players, while another six were with defensive players.  The distribution for specific positions are as follows:

Four (4) interviews were held with cornerbacks
Three (3) interviews were held with wide receivers
Two (2) interviews were held with running backs
One (1) interview was held with an offensive center (two meetings were reported with the same prospect)
One (1) interview was held with a defensive lineman.
One (1) interview was held with an outside linebacker

This 2021 NFL Draft is rumored to be very deep at wide receiver, edge rusher, offensive tackle, linebacker, interior offensive lineman, and cornerback.  With the exception of wide receiver, the LA Rams have strong reasons to be interested in prospects from all these positions.  For the record, the word is that 2022 will be nefariously short of wide receiver talent. So it makes plenty of sense for the Rams to plan ahead.

Of course, if we had to spitball the Rams’ needs, they would likely include offensive center, edge rusher, and cornerback. Other positions with free-agent losses include running back, wide receiver, safety, defensive linemen, and quarterback. But that does not tell the whole story either. The Rams must keep one eye on players whose contracts expire in 2022 as well.

Check those expiration dates

The LA Rams have never been one to show their hand. And when the Rams are connected to 12 rookie prospects in pre-draft meetings, it draws analysis. But the pattern is a curious one and does not hold up to the Rams projected losses via the 2022 NFL Free Agency market. Right now, the Rams are on track to lose:

Five (5) OL – Joseph Noteboom, Austin Corbett, Chandler Brewer (ERFA), Brian Allen, Coleman Shelton (RFA)
Four (4) ILBs – Micah Kiser, Travin Howard, Kenny Young, Troy Reeder (RFA)
Two (2) WRs – DeSean Jackson, Nsimba Webster (RFA)
Two (2) OLBs – Justin Lawler, Ogbonnia Okoronkwo
Two (2) Ss – J.R. Reed (ERFA), Juju Hughes (ERFA)
One (1) DL – Sebastian Joseph Day
One (1) CB – Darious Williams
One (1) TE – Johnny Mundt
One (1) QB – John Wolford (ERFA)
One (1) K – Matt Gay (RFA)

Of course, things can change dramatically in the interim. The LA Rams have a number of holes projected for 2022. But keep an eye on the offensive line, the linebackers, and the wide receivers position. Those are critical roles and will no doubt be a focus of the Rams both during and after the 2021 NFL Draft.

Of course, with any good fortune, some of the previous year’s players will play larger roles for the Rams this season. The Rams would be thrilled to see contributions from DL Michael Hoecht, WR Trishton Jackson, TE Brycen Hopkins, RB Raymond Calais, LB Christan Moncrief, or CB Tyrique McGhee.  But the talent pipeline will need filled new NFL talent this year. And so, who are the Rams talking to? And as a result, which positions are likely to be targeting in the upcoming 2021 NFL Draft?

Offensive players

OL Quinn Meinerz from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater met with the Rams on or about February 16 and/or on or about March 1 and then again on or about March 14 with the new offensive line coach Kevin Carberry. He had a great Senior Bowl, can play offensive center, and projects as a day two prospect.

Meinerz is a huge bodied interior offensive lineman, a 6-foot-3 320-pound behemoth who had no college football in 20202, so-so footage in 2019, but he stomped a mudhole in his opposition in the 2021 Senior Bowl.

A guard by history, he projects as a top center in the upcoming draft. He was a complete unknown and entered 2021 as an unrated prospect. He is rated as highly as round two now, and has been getting tremendous buzz.

The Rams are hot on the hunt of Meinerz. They’ve met with him twice, and he is absolutely a strong fit for what the Rams truly need on the offensive line for 2021. Will he be there? NFL Teams will have 56 opportunities to snatch him out from under the Rams. And if he is gone, there are other centers who could be options for the Rams. Some draft boards give this young man an early Day Three grade, but we’ve seen hot players fly off the board sooner than expected. He may require one of the Rams’ Day-Three picks, but this young man certainly fits the part.

NFL Draft Profile
Draft Network Draft Profile
Pro Football Network Draft Profile

Other offensive prospects

RB Javian Hawkins from Louisville met with the Rams on or about February 25 per Justin Melo from the Draft Network. He is an undersized speedster, a 5-foot-9 190ish-pound running back who creates big plays in space but can be tackled on the first contact.  The Rams’ interest could revolve around special teams as a return specialist. Perhaps as a priority UDFA or 7th round selection?
Draft Network Draft Profile
Pro Football Network Draft Profile

RB/WR Demetric Fellon from UCLA met with the Rams on or about March 10 per Justin Melo from the Draft Network. Even on draft profiles, he is a running back to some, and a wide receiver to others. But he is definitely dangerous to all.  He is one of the new ‘hybrid’ backs, a player who plays in specific packages to move the chains with significant yardage on third down. He could be drafted as high as round three.
Draft Network Draft Profile
Pro Football Network Draft Profile

WR/CB D’Wayne Eskridge from Western Michigan University met with the Rams on or about February 18 per Justin Melo from the Draft Network. Eskridge is a 5-foot-9 190-pound speedster (seems to be the category for the Rams). Oh, did I forget to mention that he switch over to cornerback in his senior season? As such who knows where teams will project him? He is most definitely a very dangerous return specialist, and he can fit into either a receiver or defensive back role in the NFL. He projects as high as early-round three, but NFL teams struggle to appreciate a player of diverse utility.
Draft Network Draft Profile
Pro Football Network Draft Profile

WR Anthony Schwartz from Auburn University met with the Rams on or about March 25 per Justin Melo from the Draft Network. Schwartz is a 6-foot-0 190-pounds speedy receiver who can stretch the field and return punts or kickoffs. He is unquestionably a guy who can stretch the defense, and as such may be a player to keep an eye on. The Rams want a backup DeSean Jackson, and Schwartz could be that guy. He is an early Day-Three projection.
Draft Network Draft Profile
Pro Football Network Draft Profile

WR Ihmir Smith-Marsette from the University of Iowa met with the Rams on or about March 9 per Justin Melo from the Draft Network. Smith-Marsette is a 6-foot-2 185-pound receiver who possesses tremendous speed, but his on-field production doesn’t show it off as expected. He also falls in the early Day-Three spot of the Draft.
Draft Network Draft Profile
Pro Football Network Draft Profile

Defensive Players

Outside linebacker Joe Tryon from the University of Washington met with the Rams on or about March 30 per Steven Haglund from the LAFB Network. Tryon is the hybrid edge rusher, a player who can stand in a two-point stance and play the outside linebacker in an odd-man front, or put his hand in the dirt and fill the defensive end role in an even-man front.

He stands 6-foot-5 and weighs 262-pounds and had a phenomenal 2019 season as a sophomore before opting out of the 2020 season. Now, draft analysts are scrambling to project him to the 2021 NFL Draft held later this month. Before opting out of the 2020 football season, Tryon was projected as high as the first round.

Tryon arrived as a 6-foot-5 230-pound recruit in 2017 to the University of Washington and has bulked up to the NFL-prototypical 262-pound size.  He would be an ideal understudy/teammate for veteran OLB Leonard Floyd. However, he is projected to go early in round two, meaning that he would be off the board before the LA Rams even step up to the podium. His is a two-fer though. He could fill the role vacated by either Morgan Fox or Samson Ebukam very successfully.
Draft Network Draft Profile
Pro Football Network Draft Profile

DL Chauncey Golston from the University of Iowa met with the Rams on or about March 18 per Justin Melo from the Draft Network. He is a small-school defensive end pass rusher and makes sense as the Rams answer to fill the roster spot vacated by outbound free agent Morgan Fox. At 6-foot-5 and 268-pounds, he was a late-bloomer. He arrived at college undersized and redshirted his freshman year. But he eventually bulked up to fill his role nicely. He even showcased potential pass defense by getting an interception in both the 2019 and 2020 seasons.

While many draft profiles slotted him into a 4-3 defensive end role, I’m not certain that is where the Rams see his potential. He is a Day-Three projection, but the Rams have a knack for unleashing a player with Golston’s talent set very effectively.

Draft Network Draft Profile
Pro Football Network Draft Profile

Turning the final corner

CB Tay Gowan from the University of Central Florida (UCF) met with the Rams on or about March 11 per Justin Melo from the Draft Network. Gowan is one of the competent cornerbacks from a rather deep draft class, and as such has limited information at many of the major draft websites. He is a 6-foot-2 185-pound defensive back with serious upside. We mentioned previously that he fits the mold as a super-safety, that CB/S hybrid who can cover wide receivers or tight ends.
Gowan currently projects as a Day-Three prospect, but he has gotten a lot of NFL interest.

CB Thomas Graham from the University of Oregon met with the Rams on or about February 21 per Justin Melo from the Draft Network. Graham opted out of the 2020 season but was on track to be one of the higher-rated defensive backs in the 2021 NFL Draft. But without the 2020 season, he is currently tracking as an early Day-Three prospect. He stands 5-foot-11 and weighs 195-pounds, a good size for the position. He could be ideal in the Rams secondary, and we would be tasked in specific ways that would allow him to play to his strengths.

CB Darren Hall from San Diego State University met with the Rams on or about March 11 per Justin Melo from the Draft Network. Hall is another secondary prospect who has that hybrid feel of both safety and cornerback. Nearly 6-foot-0 and 190-pounds, Hall fits the dimensions of an NFL defensive back, and based on what little we know of the Rams defensive scheme, he will be a nice addition to a variety of defensive schemes that the Rams will deploy this year. Hall hails from SDSU, so it’s not a stretch of any imagination to believe that the Rams have a good comfort level about what he can do on the football field.  He had a ‘great meeting’ with the Rams. He projects as a seventh-round or priority free-agent signing after the 2021 NFL Draft.

CB Asante Samuel Jr. from Florida State University met with the Rams on or about March 15 per Justin Melo from the Draft Network. Samuel has good NFL bloodlines, and as such is projected as high as a late first-round pick. Of all prospects that the Rams have interviewed with, Samuel Jr. is the highest-rated candidate so far. Standing 5-foot-10 and weighing in at 184 pounds, he is an ideal size for an NFL cornerback role.

So why would he fall to the Rams? Some draft analysts suggest that NFL teams will see his size as a cattle-shoot lock to slot cornerback only, and won’t use a Day One or Two pick on that position. Others point to his vulnerability to zone coverage, as he locks onto his receiver and does not try to track the quarterback’s eyes or turn to play the football. That will create defensive pass interference calls in the pros.  He can start in the right defensive scheme in 2021. But he is by no means a finished product.  Although he is projected high, the mock draft simulations I’ve run have about a 50/50 chance of his appearance on the draft board at the 57th pick.

The LA Rams are out there hitting the pavement, and the players that have been identified so far as having met with the LA Rams fill definitive roles with the team. Of course, there is no way to predetermine whether the Rams do plan to stand pat on their picks, or try to multiply the volume by trading back.  However the Rams choose to move in this draft, it seems clear that they will find talented players who can help them this year.