It's a great draft year for the LA Rams to shop for offensive linemen

As the LA Rams pivoted from the 2023 season to 2024, the team made it a point to address the depth of the team's offensive line. The team did not just shoot from the hip but adhered to a step-by-step process to improve the group's quality, depth, and physicality that attrition, injuries, and a lack of talent infusion had depleted.

Talent was on the menu in the 2024 offseason. The team extended starting left tackle Alaric Jackson, re-signed right guard Kevin Dotson, and signed free-agent interior offensive lineman Jonah Jackson. But that was just the appetizer. In the 2024 NFL Draft, the team drafted Arkansas IOL Beaux Limmer and Kansas State OT KT Leveston. The team signed USC IOL Justin Dedich after the draft. Finally, the team signed rookie Dylan McMahon as the season began.

But it was not all additions in the offseason. The Rams lost IOLs Coleman Shelton and Tremayne Anchrum Jr. to expired contracts. The team lost OL Zach Thomas to waiver claims by the New England Patriots (he was earmarked to the team's practice squad). Finally, the team released IOL Logan Bruss after he struggled in a starting role for the team.

For the 2025 offseason, the team faces expiring contracts for:

• LT Alaric Jackson
• Swing-tackle Joe Noteboom
• IOL Dylan McMahon
• IOL Conor McDermott

As the team weighs out the options of extending players, shopping in the 2025 NFL Free Agency market, or mining the 2025 NFL Draft for raw prospects, there are plenty of quality options for the team to consider. The value of extending known players is the level of certainty the team and coaches have with what they are getting.

If the team shops veterans in free agency, there is the chance for improving the quality at a specific position and the overall quality of the roster. Free agents do not always pan out, as Rams fans are all too aware of based on the experience this season. Some fans are lobbying for the team to release veteran Jonah Jackson, but I would not count on that.

What I would count on is the team's interest in drafting offensive linemen this year. The team has a solid core of young players, but the roster has needs at several key positions. The most obvious is the role of a young quality offensive tackle who can not only compete for the swing-tackle role that is likely to be vacated, but as the successor to veteran right tackle Rob Havenstein.

While I am uncertain if the team will invest a Round 1 pick into the offensive line, the team has two draft picks projected in Round 3 of the 2025 NFL Draft, and the team could use one or both picks to bolster the offensive line. Who might the team target?

Even at this early juncture, there are many quality prospects on the radar. That number is likely to grow as prospects compete in bowl games, the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine, and respective school Pro Days. NFL Draft analysts are already teasing by dropping names of some of the most note-worthy draft prospects:

Without any extensions, the team is relatively set in the interior with LG Steve Avila (25), C Beaux Limmer (23), and RG Kevin Dotson (28). If the team extends LT Alaric Jackson (26), the team has only the right tackle to address this offseason if the goal is to assemble a young offensive line to build around going forward.

The presence of veteran Rob Havenstein on the roster allows the team to consider highly talented prospects that may need a stronger dose of coaching to improve and enhance their blocking techniques. Of course, the team does have OTs A.J. Arcuri, KT Leveston, and Warren McClendon Jr. in the mix as well.

The team learned throughout the 2024 that success starts at the line of scrimmage. And when the Rams starting offensive line was intact, the team was very successful. But the team cannot expect to ignore the offensive line and expect the same if not better results in 2025. The team has drafted extremely well as of late. It's time to turn that proficiency to the offensive line.

As always, thanks for reading.

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