New LA Rams trade-filled mock draft swells roster with young talent

With the 251st pick

With the 251st pick of the 2023 NFL Draft, the LA Rams grab another offensive lineman. This time the team turns their sights toward Tyler Steen , a promising offensive tackle out of Alabama. Investing in an offensive lineman in the seventh round is something the LA Rams frequently do, as the success rate for offensive linemen in the NFL, even in the latter rounds, remains steadfast.

Steen is not a projected starter, but he has tremendous size, power, and potential to become a starter in the future. He excels at pass blocking, an aspect that will have the Rams closely tracking his progress in the weeks leading up to the 2023 NFL Draft. Standing 6-foot-5 and weighing a burly 325 pounds, Steen is a player who could easily be better than the brochure. But his brochure is pretty good too.

Steen falls in the 2023 NFL Draft because this is a very deep class at offensive tackle, and while he is quite capable of developing into an NFL starting offensive tackle, he simply does not separate himself from his peers. For most rookie prospects, that poses a problem. But for a potential rookie NFL offensive lineman, standing out can be for both bad reasons as well as for good reasons.

The drawback to Steen in his projected NFL career is the fact that he out-bullied his opponent in college football, but seemed to struggle against stronger high quality pass rushers. He tends to move in a straight line, and while he has excellent balance and footwork in pass protection, he tends to struggle in run blocking if he needs to change direction. Finally, his arm length is not ideal for an NFL offensive tackle, prompting some Draft profiles to project him as an interior offensive lineman.