NFL Mock Draft 2024: Rams Day 2 predictions

With the 99th pick of the 2024 NFL Draft

The LA Rams select Cole Bishop, the safety out of Utah. While so many fans insist that the Rams cannot and will not exit Day 2 without adding talent to the wide receiver room, the Rams cannot resist the attraction of adding the final piece to a completely refurbished secondary. In a previous draft, Bishop was the Rams selection at 83. In this revised mock draft, he is still on the board at 99. That makes him the best player available.

By selecting the 6-foot-2 206-pound defensive back out of Utah, the Rams draft strategy begins to form the image of a defense that is being built to defend the pass. With Jared Verse and Braden Fiske adding some horsepower to the quarterback pressure, Junior Coleman and Cole Bishop infuse a level of pass coverage that will almost certainly add greater time to a quarterback's time to throw.

Bishop is a prospect who touts his ability to defend the pass, and he will get his chance against some of the best receiver weapons in the NFL, including San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle. He has great football field presence, instantly diagnosing routes from formations and shifts, and anticipates where the quarterback wants to go with the pass.

Because he has engineered himself to stop the pass, he is quite comfortable in that role. But he also has ninja-like stealth at creeping into the box to shut down the run as well. He is a fearless and passionate defensive back who can add to the defense and to special teams right out of the gate. Best of all, he is a huge defensive back who can be deployed by new DC Chris Shula in games that needs a bit more physicality in the secondary.

By the end of Day 2, this mock draft sets up the defense as playoff-worthy. On Day 3, all that remains is rounding out the roster with depth and then calling it another amazingly successful draft.