LA Rams: These 3 Saturday games boast 6 must see Rams prospects

Oregon at Ohio State (FOX) (9:00 am PT)

In the first of two PAC-12 versus BIG-10 matchups, this early contest pits the 12th-ranked Oregon Ducks against the third-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes.  Why this one? Well, simply to catch a glimpse of Oregon edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux compete against the Ohio State offensive line, specifically offensive tackle Nicholas Petit-Frere.

6-foot-5 250-pound outside linebacker/ defensive end Thibodeaux burst onto the college football scene as a freshman, getting nine sacks and 35 tackles in 13 games. His sophomore season found his tackles climbed to 42, but his quarterback sacks fell to just three. His presence was felt in Oregon’s tough win over Fresno State.  In that game, he helped the Ducks to jump out to a 21-6 lead before leaving the game. To that point, he ruled the line of scrimmage and recorded two tackles and one sack. After Thibodeaux left, Fresno State rallied but fell short by a final score of 31-24.

He will be opposed by Ohio State offensive tackle Nicholas Petit-Frere. Petit-Frere is a huge offensive tackle, standing 6-foot-5 and weighing in at 315-pounds. He is named to the 2021 Outland watch list (the Outland Trophy is awarded to the best college football offensive lineman that season). Per the team’s website, he was the best college football offensive tackle from the Power 5 conferences. He was a 5-star college recruit and has lived up to that potential so far with Ohio State.

Both prospects project as day one or day two draft candidates. This contest, and how well each performs against the other, could springboard one into the early round one conversations. While the LA Rams do not draft that early, this is a long season and either or both could be there when the Rams step up to the podium to make their first selection in round two.