LA Rams January Mock Draft ‘smokes’ the secondary

With the 102nd pick…

The Los Angeles Rams select offensive tackle Rasheed Walker, from Penn State University.  Do I believe that the Rams organization would dare to go to the offensive line this early? I believe that it is certainly within the realm of possibilities. After all, the pick is at the end of Day 2, firmly buried in the caboose care of round three. This is a spot that, if the team chooses wisely, they could still find a potential starter.

Rasheed Walker could be such a find. At 6-foot-6 and 320-pounds, he has plenty of the prerequisites: Size, power, agility, and a low center of gravity. He comes with a solid set of positives. He has good handwork. His footwork is spot on, as he has a nice and seamless lateral movement that seems almost automatic as he maintains the position between defender and quarterback.

Walker held his own against Michigan’s edge rusher, Aiden Hutchinson, who many have projected to be the first player taken off the board by the Jacksonville Jaguars. That in of itself should place Walker on the radar scope of plenty of NFL teams. So why would he possibly fall to the Rams in this draft?

He is not a perfect plug-n-play just yet. And whenever a team drafts an offensive lineman, they look for the plug-n-play guy or wait until Day 3 when they can scoop up several offensive linemen prospects for next to nothing. That tendency leaves Walker in that donut hole, where the Rams can draft him.

He has a good understanding of the position. He simply needs to get more powerful, more sculpted, and more refined at doing so. Training with the LA Rams will absolutely give him all the opportunity to develop into an NFL starter.