5 2021 NFL Draft rookies to pair LA Rams Donald to devastate the NFL

Florida State

To say I muse over some article for weeks at a time is an understatement. Florida State’s Marvin Wilson has been on my radar to include in an article for nearly eight months. I’m still musing with some parts. Of course, the catalyst for this article was all thanks to the tireless analysts over at The Draft Network, who laid down the gauntlet in August 2020 over the possibility of the LA Rams lining up Florida State’s Marvin Willson next to LA Rams Aaron Donald.

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Of course, at the time Wilson appeared to be headed for a projected round one grade for the 2021 NFL Draft. After all, he stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 303-pounds. That’s the right size for most NFL teams to think prototypical defensive lineman.

That’s changed somewhat.

He may not be the top pick of the 2021 NFL Draft, nor even the top-ranked defensive lineman in the 2021 NFL Draft, but the skillsets of Wilson are such that he certainly opens a lot of possibilities over pairing him up with Aaron Donald on the Rams defensive front. His 2019 performance is the type of play that NFL teams hope to land if they pick him. His 2020 performance is the type of play that NFL teams want to avoid if they pick him.

His 2020 production plummeted, and many attribute the drop to a sharp uptick in body weight. A more likely cause was his battle with a leg injury that season.  But he remains a powerful force on the defensive line, and he showed some flashes at the Senior Bowl. Was it enough to sustain a high draft projection? Likely not. But the silver lining is that the further he may fall, the more likely are the Rams to select him.