LA Rams post Week 8 mock draft sets team up to win for years to come

2025 NFL Draft - Day 3

The LA Rams have remarkable success on Day 3 of discovering diamonds in the rough. Whether it's a rookie prospect project to come off the board earlier who has fallen, or simply an under-scouted prospect who is better than expected, the team seems to root through the thousands of players and hone in on the few who are true fits for the organization.

Round 4 Pick 111:

So you want the front office to take the inside linebacker position more seriously? Well, Utah rookie prospect ILB Lander Barton is about as serious as it gets. This young man exudes the aura of a classic NFL inside linebacker, a rock-em-sock-em robot who loves to hit, stuff the run, and make football plays. Standing 6-foot-4 and weighing 236 pounds, this Ute snuffs out opposing tight ends and running backs in pass coverage, as he generates sideline-to-sideline coverage.

While he could put on a bit more muscle to handle the physicality of the NFL, this guy is already a tackling machine. Beyond the limits of his raw technique, he is already blessed with formidable size and feistiness. He immediately comes to the team as a big-bodied upgrade over Troy Reeder, And if strategically paired with a solid run thumper like Omar Speights, he could be a huge piece in the future of the defense.

Round 5 Pick 186:

Remember those Super Saiyan safeties who were coveted by former Rams DC Raheem Morris? Well, Oregon LB/S Jeffrey Bassa is perfectly suited for an NFL hybrid role to compete either in the box or out at center field. Standing 6-foot-2 and weighing 235 pounds, Bassa looks every bit like a linebacker. While many NFL teams will scout Bassa as a linebacker who needs coaching to fully earn a rotational role in the NFL, I can see avenues for the Rams to view his skill set as allowing him to develop in the opposite direction.

As a big-bodied defensive back, Jeffrey Bassa becomes the solution to big tight ends who excel at catching the football. He already commands solid pass coverage skills. With a background as both safety and linebacker, Bassa is a unique and versatile weapon for DC Chris Shula to deploy deceptively in the defense. He is a sub-package defender who is ideally framed to blitz, shocking offensive linemen, and protection schemes by getting pressure on quarterbacks from unexpected angles.

Best of all, Jeffrey Bassa is a highly productive defender for the Oregon Ducks.