NFL Draft 2021: Top 10 LA Rams prospects from the Big-12

Defensive back

The next prospect to take a look at is a  cornerback that has not been in many discussions so far this year, Texas Tech’s Zech McPhearson (5.99-grade per NFL.com). Talk about a player all over the board?  His draft profile projects him anywhere from a day two all the way down to a priority signing-free agent.

He stands 5-foot-11 and weighs in at 191-pounds, a good size for an NFL cornerback. He was a transfer student out of Penn State to Texas Tech and started his final two seasons for the Red Raiders.  He is ideally suited on the outside and is blessed with a great football IQ and speed.

But he is not fluid in reverse, a skillset pretty common in NFL cornerbacks. He is less effective in the slot, where receivers can break both ways to the ball.  Much like the outgoing Troy Hill, McPhearson is a zone-scheme specialist. He likes to own an area and defend it at all costs.

That would do well in the Rams cover-1 or cover 3-schemes, and he may become a target for those reasons alone. With so much talent at the position, he could fall to late day three, where he becomes a potential steal for the Rams if they are shopping for a starting cornerback that late in the draft. If the Rams can draft him in either round six or seven, I’m popping the top off a celebratory beer.  He’s a solid bargain there.