LA Rams 2022 NFL Draft meetings tracker

As if right on queue, the LA Rams have started to be named as a team conducting pre-draft meetings. Now, nothing close to the rate of 2021, when we had 24 pre-draft meetings to contend with. This year, the list is a much smaller and more manageable list of prospects.

That list is so much smaller this year, and that is due to two main contributing factors. First of all, the LA Rams scouts and data analytics staff are working like stealthy ninjas this year. Since the team has no pick in the top 100 and will approach the podium as the 32nd team out of the 32 teams in the NFL, the Rams are knowingly at a disadvantage.

The second reason is simply pragmatic.  Without a top pick – their first pick is late in Round 3 – the LA Rams are simply not targeting the top prospects in the NFL Draft. By not doing so, the team is working with prospects who are not on the radar of many of the top NFL Draft Analysts and Insiders.

UPDATED: April 27, 2022, with 9 meetings now reported

Of course, occasionally, the word does get out that the LA Rams have met with a prospect. When that happens, we’ve been taking notes. Still, the NFL schedule for contacting rookie prospects is now a critical issue. For example, April 20, 2022, was the last day for NFL teams to host to conduct physical exams of rookie prospects.  In one week’s time, April 27, 2022, NFL teams will face a deadline for timing, testing, or interviewing rookie prospects.

The Rams still have time to fill out their draft profiles, rank players, and apply the finishing touches to what is hoped to be an outstanding NFL Draft. But the lack of information should not be interpreted as a lack of activity. The LA Rams simply do not work their business on the red carpet.

Since they are confident that their methodology has a greater success rate than most NFL teams, it’s typically mum’s the word.

So who do we have to discuss so far? It’s a bit light, I’m afraid.

Which UDFAs have the LA Rams met with so far?

The LA Rams will be shopping for more than a dozen players after the draft ends (currently up to 16 after releasing two additional players), as per their current roster projections. So where might the LA Rams be signing players after the draft?

Of course, one of the positions where it is safe to speculate is the wide receiver position. Right now. the LA Rams are linked to one who is expected to fall out of the draft.

April 3, 2022 – The LA Rams were reported to have met with USC WR K.D. Nixon (currently projected as a Priority Free Agent). He played in 43 games as both a Colorado Buffalo and as a USC Trojan, catching 108 passes for 1,285 yards and eight touchdowns. He was also quite active on special teams, returning six punts for 30.0 yards and 36 kickoffs for 813 yards.

What else do we know about K D Nixon? He is a 5-foot-8 190-pound wide receiver who transferred to USC from Colorado for one final college season. He hails from Desoto, Texas, and is a skilled route runner. He has a 4.46-second 40-yard dash, which is fast enough for him to be considered a deep threat.  While raw in both his moves and hands, he possesses enough to be considered a viable prospect to be added to the LA Rams roster

A USC player to the LA Rams just makes sense.

Getting tight with a Tight End

April 11, 2022 – The LA Rams were reported to have met with Georgia St. TE Roger Carter (currently projected as a Priority Free Agent)

While he filled a fullback role with Georgia State, Roger Carter would most likely be targeted to assume the vacated Johnny Mundt role in the LA Rams offensive structure.

So who is Carter?  He is a 6-foot-2 250-pound versatile offensive weapon who has characteristics of both a tight end and a full back. Is this the year where the Rams design plays with a blocking back? Well, Carter could add that skillset to any offense he joins.

His college career included playing in 44 games, in which TE Roger Carter caught 96 passes for 1,224 yards and 12 touchdowns. Described as both a good blocker and as someone who has soft hands, the Rams will certainly be at his doorstep with a contract at the moment the 2022 NFL Draft ends. Carter’s ability to catch and block makes him ideally suited for roles on the offense and on special teams this year.

Of course, there could be other rookies who will fall out of the 2022 NFL Draft and be signed by the LA Rams. But what about players who will likely hear their name called in the draft?

April 22, 2022 – The LA Rams will reportedly meet with Nevada punter Julian Diaz before the April 27th, 2022, deadline.

While there are plenty of reports this year about an incredibly robust draft class, don’t overlook the fact that there are plenty of hidden gemstones in this year’s draft class, and Julian Diaz is just one of many who the Rams will vet with care and consideration. More than just a failsafe option or consolation prize, Diaz is a formidable powerful-legged punter who averaged 45.3 yards per punt in the last two college seasons. That is 72 punts for 3,265 yards. And he is a southpaw punter, so that is an intriguing quality to throw off NFL return specialists.

Standing 6-foot-1 and weighing 215-pounds, Diaz certainly meets the threshold of an NFL punter.

Suddenly the Rams are getting in their last-minute meetings, eh?

Which Day 3 prospects have the LA Rams met with so far?

April 11, 2022 – The LA Rams have reportedly had a private workout and meeting with San Diego State P Matt Araiza (currently projected as high as a Round 3 prospect)

The 2022 NFL Draft top punter prospect, and someone who is currently getting a lot of pre-draft love, met with the LA Rams for a private workout or so reports Pro Football Network’s Tony Pauline in his April 11, 2022 recap. The 6-foot-2 200-pound Araiza practically played in the LA Rams’ backyard.

While he was both a placekicker and a punter for the Aztecs, he will be focused on punting in the NFL, having earned the prestigious nickname “Punt God.” He can flip the field in one booming kick, routinely sending the football 60+ yards to the other end of the field. In fact, he had recorded punts of over 80 yards twice. But his artillery-charged foot comes at a price – he is a left-footed punter who is more about power than precision.  Even when attempting to punt inside the 20-yard line, his punts will frequently end up in the end zone for a touchback.

Punt god has a nice ring to it.

Added April 21 – A Round 6 athletic freak?

April 21, 2022 – The LA Rams have been rumored to have had a predraft meeting with North Dakota offensive tackle rookie prospect Matt Waletzko. (Currently projected as high as Round 6).

Of course, the rumors of meeting with the Rams were embedded with the “met with all 32 teams” narrative. So did he meet with the LA Rams? Well, he was brought into a conversation about the LA Rams in an interview with Draft Network’s Insider Justin Melo, and he spoke directly about how he would love to play in the Rams’ offense.

While he may be considered a bit raw or untested, he certainly has generated a lot of post-combine buzz. He stands  6-foot-8, weighs 312-pounds, dashes 40-yards in just 5.03 seconds, and possesses the length in his arms – over 36 inches – that offensive line coaches dream about.

Yes, he’s raw. A player who needs more muscle mass, more competition, and more coaching. But a Day 3 prospect is not often in possession of this much raw athleticism.

OMG, now an offensive guard or a blocking tight end?

UPDATED April 23, 2022 – The Rams have been reported to have met with Virginia Tech offensive guard Lecitus Smith.

Yes, the LA Rams have every reason to take a hard look at the offensive guard position in the 2022 NFL Draft. The team has lost starting right guard Austin Corbett to free agency, without an obvious replacement on the roster. While Lecitus Smith is not a plug-and-play replacement, he certainly offers plenty of positives to make him a worthwhile prospect.

He stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 314-pounds, and is a converted tight end to offensive guard. He needs a bit of improvement in his run blocking, but his pass protection is quality stuff. The fact that he played tight end cannot be ruled out as a potential to replace blocking tight end, Johnny Mundt.  Because of his fit in two very different positions, he makes an incredible prospect to be heavily considered for the LA Rams roster.

Another OG?

April 12, 2022 – The Rams have been presumed to have met with UCLA Bruins OG Sean Rhyan (currently projected in Round 5)

Every year, fans have hoped for the LA Rams to address the offensive line in the NFL Draft, and for the past two seasons, it simply has not happened. In 2020, the Rams drafted former Clemson OT Tremayne Anchrum in the seventh round, while the Rams abandoned the offensive line altogether in 2021. The team did manage to sign OT Alaric Jackson after that draft. Is the third time the charm for the LA Rams this year?

He is reported to be a strong candidate as an NFL offensive tackle as well. And he certainly looks the part. Standing 6-foot-5 and weighing a burly 321-pounds, Rhyan is not going to be manhandled by even the most powerful NFL defensive linemen or edge rushers.

He is raw for a pass blocker, still working on angles, leverage, hand, and footwork. But he could be a plug-and-play run blocker. The Rams may not have offensive lineman as a huge priority in this draft, but Rhyan is so versatile (can start both at OT or OG) and so gifted for the role of NFL offensive lineman, particularly with a Day 3 pick, that I’m not sure that even the LA Rams could resist selecting him.

LA Rams meeting top prospects

While the 2022 NFL Scouting combine occurred some time ago, we’ve noticed that some of the major NFL trackers had no indications of any LA Rams activity. Of course, for the most part, the Rams coaches and personnel executives did not attend the event, their third consecutive season for doing so.

Instead, scouts were in attendance, rounding out and adding clarity to any draft profiles of intriguing prospects that were, at the time, deemed incomplete. So when reports appear indicating that the LA Rams have been connected to the top-rated quarterback and the top-rated wide receiver in this draft class, it feels rather disingenuous. The LA Rams have neither a first-round nor a second-round pick. But, we will include the information and allow you to judge whether is authentic or just fillers

UPDATE! – Bulldog RB?

April 23, 2022, – The LA Rams will meet with highly regarded Georgia running back James Cook as per the latest report from FanSided NFL Insider Matt Lombardo

The LA Rams have had eyes on all of their current running backs on the roster, and if they have any questions, now is the time to act. Well, the Rams appear to be acting. Cook is an extremely versatile offensive weapon, a player who can excel in both the running game and the passing game. Standing 5-foot-11 and weighing 199-pounds, he fits that change-of-pace role that the team has been asking Darrell Henderson Jr. to fill. Coincidentally, Henderson’s contract expires at the end of this season. Hmmm.

Cook is all over the board, as some project him as high as early in Round 3, while others have noticed the reluctance of NFL teams to choose running backs early, and have him as far as Round 5.  I’ll split the difference and call him a Round 4 selection. (But I’ll list him in Round 3). I love Cook’s potential. But Cook has plenty of questions regarding his overall NFL readiness which calls his upside into question. He needs to refine his ability to pick up blitzes in pass protection. He has room to improve in getting small to squirt through smaller creases.

But we know how the LA Rams roll. If they love him, and there is plenty to love about him, he will hear his name called when the Rams finally step up to the podium.

Walter Football updates

Per Walter Football as first noticed on April 19, 2022:

The LA Rams have met with QB Malik Willis out of Liberty (Top-rated QB – Projected Round One) (Indicated as occurring at the 2022 NFL Scouting Combine, but unconfirmed). The meeting between NFL teams and any top prospects occurs organically at the NFL Scouting Combine, and historically has been little more than a combination of social call and curiosity, all rolled into one.

Malik Willis is a dual-threat QB who is raw but who has tremendous athletic potential and has been mocked to nearly any QB needy team who is choosing on Day 1. Because he is so universally known, I’m a bit skeptical that the LA Rams would have any need for additional information, nor do I suspect that Willis will fall out of Round One.

Willis has been projected anywhere from the top quarterback prospect to the third-best quarterback prospect in a draft class with little excitement about the quarterbacks this year. Hey, anything is possible. I just wouldn’t hold my breath on this one.

Final meeting – Wide receiver

The LA Rams have met with WR Treylon Burks out of Arkansas (Top-rated WR – Projected Round One) (Indicated as occurring at the 2022 NFL Scouting Combine, but unconfirmed).

Treylon Burks is a 6-foot-3 225-pound prospect who has become a bit of a polarizing figure in terms of the 2022 NFL Draft. Some NFL draft scouts and analysts love him, considering him one of the top players in this draft class, and projecting tremendous production out of him rather quickly. Others see him as a bit of an athletic enigma, someone who tests well in track and field like competition, but whose feel and instincts for football are simply not honed to a point of placing him higher than a potential starter or backup someday.

That has equated to multiple “Boom or Bust” descriptions.

Like any highly regarded draft prospect, particularly one who plays wide receiver, he is a bit of both. He played 32 games and caught 146 passes for 2,399 yards and 18 touchdowns. He was also active in the running game, rushing 38 times for 228 yards and one touchdown. He even found his way onto special teams, returning 13 punts for 134 yards and 11 kickoffs for 226 yards.

Many analysts who are excited by him believe that Burks will become that physical big-bodied receiver in the ilk of Alshon Jeffrey. Those who are not excited by him see him more as a slower Josh Reynolds.

As for me? I do not see him falling to the LA Rams at 104. Even if he does, the Rams have greater needs there than a wide receiver who has boom or bust potential.

And there you have it. Only six reports of the LA Rams meeting with potential rookie prospects, and of that group two have plenty of reasons to suspect them as not bona fide.

So are the Rams meeting with prospects? Of course. The Rams simply do a rather excellent job of keeping their interactions with potential rookies under wraps so as not to tip off other teams as to who they are interested in.