LA Rams OC Liam Coen has great insight for 7 UK draft hopefuls

Round 3

With the 104th pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, the LA Rams select Luke Fortner, offensive center, from the University of Kentucky. His NFL Draft grade has been graded at 6.24, meaning that he is likely to develop into an NFL starter soon.  (Round III – 71st ranked player)

Like it or not, the LA Rams would be wise to consider adding an offensive lineman in this year’s draft. While the LA Rams have extended Brian Allen for the foreseeable future, the Rams’ depth at true interior linemen is a bit less than the habit of converting offensive tackles to the interior would lead you to believe.

With backup center Coleman Shelton looking at likely starting at the right guard position for 2022, the team appears set at the starting positions. But right now the team appears to be counting on the entire roster to step up and take over more significant roles in 2022. What if one or two players are not up to the task?

Fortner makes a lot of sense here. He stands 6-foot-4, weighs 307-pounds, and has been praised in several draft profiles for having incredible leadership and character traits.  Those are the intangibles that the Rams’ data analytics seems to key on regularly. While he is absolutely an offensive center, and fully versed in dictating protections at the line of scrimmage, he is also versatile enough to slide anywhere in the interior.

That could be very important, as the LA Rams will need to extend both RT Rob Havenstein and LG David Edwards at the end of the 2022 NFL season. It would be a smart move to add a capable offensive lineman to the roster now to ensure a smooth transition for the unit. Not to mention that starting offensive center Brian Allen’s durability has not allowed him to start an entire season.