LA Rams Draft: Impossible athleticism yields extraordinary results

With the 239th pick

…of the 2022 NFL Draft, the Los Angeles Rams have selected Quentin Lake, safety, from UCLA.

The LA Rams will need secondary help in 2022 and beyond, particularly in the face of expiring contracts at the end of this season for Taylor Rapp, Nick Scott, and Jake Gervase. If you’ve been tracking who the LA Rams do and do not re-sign, they have not extended safeties in the past.

So safety could be a hot position for the LA Rams in the 2022 NFL Draft, and Quentin Lake is ideally suited to join the LA Rams. Not only is he coming from a college in their backyard, but he has the chops and bloodline to be a significant contributor over the course of his NFL career.

Standing 6-foot-1 and weighing 201 pounds, the native of Irvine, California has been described as ‘not the fastest’ prospect. When last we read that, the LA Rams drafted safety Jordan Fuller who was a sensational rookie starter. Could lightning strike twice?

Quentin Lake is the son of former Pittsburgh Steeler defensive back Carnell Lake. His father was very versatile, starting at both safety positions and cornerback positions throughout his 12-year NFL career. Now, his son is following in the versatile and very accomplished footsteps that his father placed 30 years ago.

Despite the late pick, Lake has incredible football IQ, makes great on-field decisions, and is very capable of fighting for and winning in those 50-50 jump ball scenarios. And at a height of 6-foot-1, it will be quite the challenge for a quarterback to air it out and throw it over his head.

While he is categorized as a safety, the Bruins used him almost anywhere in the secondary, and he was effective wherever he played.  While he is not the thumper sticker type of run defender, he is adequate in leveraging his tackling to slide down to the hips and drag down the rusher from that point.

Anyone chosen in Round 7 will need to contribute to special teams, and Lake can certainly deliver in that role. He has a solid foundation to contribute both in the return and coverage units and earn his way into a larger role on defense in the process.