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 Darian Kinnard, offensive guard, from the University of Kentucky. Much like his teammate Fortner, Kinnard is an excellent value with the first pick for the LA Rams. His NFL Draft grade comes in at 6.24 (Round III – 66th ranked player)

Another interior offensive lineman who would make complete sense for the LA Rams, Kinnard is viewed as the slightly better of the two interior offensive linemen out of Kentucky. But that could simply fall to preference than to any single area.

Kinnard is a big offensive lineman who played at right tackle, but who many expect to move inside to the guard position for the NFL. He stands 6-foot-5 and weighs 322-pounds, a huge physical form that has as much snarl and meanness as he has physicality and power. He has been successful in college because he overpowers opponents. To continue that success in the NFL, he will need to up his technique in terms of hand placement and footwork.

But his scouting report out of the Senior Bowl was incredibly rosy.  That carries a lot of weight with the Rams, who view Senior Bowl performances as a key indicator of how well a player will do in the NFL

Senior Bowl hype for a player is one thing, but Senior Bowl Director seldom goes out on a limb. He did for Kinnard, calling him a starter in year one in the NFL. That’s a huge endorsement.