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

With the 160th pick

The LA Rams certainly need help in the secondary, and the team finally begins to reinforce that unit on Day 3 when the team selects Garrett Williams from the University of Syracuse with the 160th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. Williams is an ideal size for an NFL cornerback role, standing 6-foot-0 and weighing 189 pounds.

The LA Rams need defensive backs who can play in the NFL, and Garrett Williams is certainly one who can. He is an ideal prospect for the Rams here, He would normally project much higher, but he suffered an ACL injury in October 2022, and his draft projection truly hinges on a clean medical review. Even with a clean bill of health, with the abundance of talent in this draft, not all teams will remain interested. I believe that the Rams will stay interested.

While Williams has great instincts, his natural ability has been showcased in pass coverage in primarily zone pass defense. Since that is the base of the Rams secondary coverage, look for Williams to be a player who the Rams are quite intrigued with. And I believe that intrigue is well placed.

He is a clean player, seldom called for penalties. And while he does a great job of pivoting his head as the ball arrives, he is not a defensive back who will get caught following the quarterbacks eyes. He knows the routes of the receivers he intends to defend, and merely uses the QB as a bit of tracking to ensure that he is aware of what the quarterback is up to. Garrett Williams, if medically cleared, could be an NFL starter. With the Rams recent investment into top-tier defensive backs coaching, Williams is the ideal prospect to take advantage of that expertise.