LA Rams draft Decobie Durant Jr: Here are 2 prospects left on the board

The LA Rams selected cornerback Decobie Durant Jr out of South Carolina with the 142nd overall pick of the 2022 NFL Draft.  But with each and every player chosen, there were plenty of players who were not. And over time, those forsaken players could come back to haunt the Rams. Here are two players that they left on the board.

As we’ve broken down earlier on this website, Decobie Durant Jr was the Rams pick with the 142nd overall selection, a small school cornerback that fans are excited about. He should be a good contributor and will fit what the Rams want in that position.

But, for the sake of arguing, let’s say that the Rams decided to go in a different direction with this pick. Who else could they have taken right here? How would that have changed the NFL Draft?

Let’s discuss the LA Rams 142nd overall pick a little bit. After all, that’s what we do here right?

OL Darrian Kinnard, Kentucky

OL Darrian Kinnard was one of my personal favorite offensive linemen in the class. I designated him as an offensive lineman here because he’s remarkably versatile – capable of bouncing outside and inside then offensive line and playing either tackle or guard position. He looks solid at the Senior Bowl and tested well at the NFL Combine.

The reason he was pushed down the board is that he lacks some quickness and is a bit more of a mauler in his playstyle. He could have been a good fit for the Rams on the right side as a developmental guy that could push for playing time early. However, the Rams chose to take Durant and Kinnard went three picks later to the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Rams would end up addressing the offensive tackle position in the seventh round when they took AJ Arcuri out of Michigan State.

CB DaRon Bland, Fresno State

Obviously, Decobie Durant Jr was the player that the Rams liked more, but DaRon Bland would have been a good pick here too. Bland is a little bit bigger than Durant, standing at about 6-foot-1 and 203-pounds. My scouting notes on him were rather glowing:

"Has some decent speed to get after the play. Comes downhill like a safety. Very explosive. Strong lower body that gives him some power when launching into a tackle. Strong tackler with an excellent tackling form and wrap up. Not afraid to come down into someone. Willing to play run defense. Strong hit power. Smart man coverage player. Tends to play a trail technique. Excellent recognition ability. Reads and diagnoses well."

Bland’s tape is littered with physicality – which is something that typically the Rams value. He also hails from a small school – transferring in 2021 from Sacramento State to Fresno State. He was a huge burst to the Bulldogs’ defense in 2021 and helped the defense tremendously improve from 2020 to 2021.

I like Bland better than I liked Durant personally, but that’s the beauty of the NFL Draft. Everyone is going to have different opinions and they are going to make different decisions. I think Decobie Durant Jr will be a good player for the Rams. However, it’s fun to speculate on what they could have done.

In the end, the LA Rams chose one player. But these are just two prospects not chosen.