LA Rams Draft: Top 50 Rams Big Board for 2023 NFL Draft

2023 NFL Draft Big Board: 34-36 features Re’Mahn Davis, Antonio Mafi, Mekhi Garner

If the picks are not used to move up the board, the LA Rams will enter the sixth round of the 2023 NFL Draft with four picks, a number that equals the number of picks originally used to this point. If the team is still looking, the depth at running back, cornerback, EDGE, wide receiver, and even interior defensive line is such that starters can be found this late in the draft.

34  Re’Mahn Davis, Running Back, Vanderbilt

The LA Rams’ lust for running backs may or may not have been satiated before this, but if the position lingers on the shopping list until the sixth round of the 2023 NFL Draft, then Vanderbilt’s 5-foot-9 205-pound running back Re’Mahn Davis could be selected by the LA Rams. Davis fits the mold of Kyren Williams and Ronnie Rivers, slightly smaller rushers who have the ability to be three-down backs. He has sufficient speed to elude defenders, and the ability to make unexpected cuts to daylight to either side and take it to the house.  While I believe the Rams have saturated the roster with runners under 6-foot-0, the team may feel otherwise. He has been productive at the college level, and his reported 4.6-second 40-yard dash time should ensure that he remains just as productive in the NFL.

35  Atonio Mafi, Interior Offensive Line, UCLA

There is plenty of excitement, but not much written about the 6-foot-4 355-pound UCLA interior offensive lineman Atonion Mafi. He once tipped the scales at 411 pounds but has since shaved off a lot of weight, even being reported at 339 pounds in some reports.

Mafi is a former defensive lineman who was converted to the offensive line out of need, but his performance at the position now has many draft analysts scratching their heads at how to analyze his college work: Defensive lineman, offensive tackle, or interior offensive lineman?

Even at a large 339 pounds, Mafi appears to be fit and ready to go. Mafi first appeared as the Bruins starting right guard in 2021 and has since never looked back. The Bruins have played to a 17-7 record over the past two years, partially thanks to Mafi’s ability to block. Mafi has a solid punch, a mindset that loves to engage defenders, and a motor that doesn’t quit. Because he converted from the defensive line, he is not a topic of many draft profiles. But his stock could skyrocket quickly once he gets noticed.

36  Mekhi Garner, Cornerback, LSU

I love the idea of adding tall defensive backs to the LA Rams’ secondary. I suppose that is just a personal bias. But it does help me to appreciate the upside of a 6-foot-2 217-pound defensive back out of LSU named Mekhi Garner. Because of his size, he has a huge wingspan that can be very effective in blocking the sight of a receiver, as well as getting a hand into the path of the football to break up the pass. He follows the football well from the time it leaves the quarterback’s hands until it arrives at its destination, allowing him to sometimes play the football for the interception. He has good tackling skills and can bring down a runner even if matched up one on one. While he holds a 4.59-second 40-yard dash time, he can get fooled by a double move and struggles to make up ground if trailing a receiver.