Rams Mock Draft: LA Rams draft 11, make 2 trades back

Round 5

At 175, the LA Rams see P Matt Araiza on the board and quickly upgrade their special teams’ play once more. While there are plenty of punters with pre-draft buzz, the Rams select one from their own backyard who many feels could be one of the best NFL punters in its history.

Quite the hype, but with a nickname of “Punt god”, it’s to be expected.

Some have declared that getting punter Matt Araiza in the 2022 NFL Draft should be the LA Rams’ main focus, to the point of selecting him at the end of Round 3. I do not subscribe to that scenario, at least not this year.

The 2022 NFL Draft is loaded with punters, folks. Even after I pulled together the names of six worthwhile punter prospects who have the qualities of a successful NFL punter, I have since uncovered still more intriguing prospects.  How many punters will likely be drafted this year? Perhaps three.

The intrigue of so many over Araiza is the pure power of his punts. He can boom them, folks, 50+ yards is the expectation, but he can nail several 60+ yard consecutive punts as well.  He has even punted more than 80 yards at a time. Of course, the key is getting punt coverage downfield quickly enough to stop the return for minimal yards.

Araiza is not a perfect punter. He punts about one-third of his punts into the end zone for a touchback, negating the power of his leg instantly. And while he does kick it for a mile, he outkicks coverage, which ends up as higher than expected punt returns. But many NFL teams see that power and are mesmerized by the possibilities. If he falls to 175, I believe the Rams will pull the trigger.