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

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.