LA Rams Mock Draft 2021: Trade w Lions, Bears nets 9 picks

Round three, pick 103

With the 103rd pick of the 2021 NFL Draft, the LA Rams select  cornerback Tay Gowan from the University of Central Florida. Now don’t shoot me for this one. In some draft boards, Gowan is a Day Three prospect.  By the Draft Network, Gowan is their 213th ranked prospect. At the NFL.com Draft board, Gowan is the 37th ranked cornerback. But, he certainly warranted plenty of attention from the LA Rams and other teams, and per the Pro Football Focus mock simulator, he was the 69th ranked player in this draft.

So let’s go with what we know. We know that Gowan is a 6-foot-1 186-pound beast who will fit the LA Rams needs from the get go with his ability to show up and play in a disciplined defensive scheme surrounded by Jalen Ramsey and Darious Williams.  Of course, Tay Gowan is accustomed to playing among great defensive backs.

The fit of Gowan in the Rams defense is solid. The problem? He opted out of the 2020 football season, which creates room for other cornerbacks to rise in the ranks. Per the PFF profile, he only allowed a completion rate of 40 percent in 2019. Wow.

The challenge for any football analyst is how to objectively rank a player with just one year starting in collegiate football to a player who has started three or four years? Gowan has good size, great speed, and played lights out when he lined up on the football field. The Rams met with him to flush out any concerns. I believe they like what they heard, and do not hesitate to call out his name at the end of round three.