LA Rams mock 2022 NFL Draft, grabbing OL and Edge value

Round 7: Pick 237

With the 237th pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, the Los Angeles Rams select Robert Cooper, defensive tackle, from Florida State University. While the LA Rams are staring down the barrel of potentially losing nose tackle Sebastian Joseph Day to free agency, and even the rumored interest of other teams poaching Defensive Line Coach Eric Henderson from the LA Rams, the chance to work with rookie prospect Robert Cooper could be a very attractive lure to keep Coach Henny and his Dawgwork mantra on board for another year or two.

Cooper is akin to the stature of Aaron Donald or Greg Gaines. Standing 6-foot-2 and weighing an immense 335-pounds, Cooper is a blocker gobbler type of nose tackle who is so incredibly powerful that he simply plants his feet in the ground and can withstand as many as three blockers trying to move him off of his mark.

A huge blocker-gobbler

Since he is so powerful and fixed into place, he is a naturally disruptive force to any running attack on the offense. His ability to hold his ground limits any cutback lanes, forcing running backs to make instant decisions whether to go right or left, allowing defensive pursuit to surround and swarm to the football.

Because he is not 6-foot-4 or taller, some teams will look past Cooper to bigger defensive linemen. But just as the Rams have found remarkable production from Donald (6-foot-1) and Gaines (6-foot-1), Cooper has the type of body build to get instant leverage on bigger-bodied offensive linemen.  He dipped in 2020 but came roaring back in 2021 in 12 games with 39 tackles, 4.5 tackles for a loss, 0.5 quarterback sacks, and one pass deflection.

Cooper is an ideal addition to an LA Rams defensive line that has proven repeatedly that it’s the player, not the dimensions, that truly create nightmarish matchups for opposing offenses. Robert Cooper is the type of under-the-radar who could flourish with the LA Rams culture.