Field Yates sees Rams draft moment fans have waited years for

The Los Angeles Rams are busy with the laborious task of assessing all rookie prospects who will be on the board during the 2026 NFL Draft. Unlike previous drafts in recent history, this team had a successful 2025 season and still managed to pick within the top 15 selections of the draft.

And fans are praying for that 13th overall selection to make a difference.

Well, ESPN NFL draft analyst Field Yates may have some great news. He shares the fact that Los Angeles has not spent a first-round draft pick on a defensive back since 2006. And with two first-rounders in 2026, a huge need for a quality cornerback, and a deep cornerback in the draft, he asserts that general manager Les Snead will snap that streak this year.

And he may have hit the bullseye.

After all, ESPN NFL analyst Louis Riddick called out the cornerback position as the team's most glaring need for 2026. The secondary had no answer for Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba any more than the defensive front had a solution for Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley the previous year.

Field Yates mock draft supports LA Rams landing shutdown corner

Even as the rookie class of 2026 appears to be loaded with cornerback talent, it matters not if other NFL teams bare the shelves before general manager Les Snead steps up to the podium. The trouble is, fans are already heatedly debating whether the team should select a quarterback, cornerback, offensive lineman, wide receiver, or edge rusher in Round 1.

On the Rich Eisen Show, Yates revealed his third mock draft of the 2026 NFL Draft. Curiously, he only mocks one quarterback, two offensive tackles, two wide receivers, and no cornerbacks in the top 10. And that is excellent news for a Rams front office that is armed with the 13th overall pick:

Yates mocks just four defensive players off the board in the first 10 selections. And if Snead wants a cornerback, it appears that he may have the pick of the litter. With a deep and talented cornerback class, will Snead bite and aim for the head of the class? Or will competing priorities compel him to settle for a very good rookie prospect?

It's just one more offseason with another high level of uncertainty in two.

As always, thanks for reading.