Post Trade LA Rams mock draft reloads defense for 2023

With the 36th pick

The LA Rams select Deonte Banks, cornerback, from the University of Maryland. If there is a rookie player who can show up and start in the LA Rams secondary at cornerback in 2023, Deonte Banks can. He is a big bodied cornerback who stands 6-foot-2 and weighs in at 205 pounds.

If the LA Rams are truly willing to deal away their best defensive back in Jalen Ramsey, then their secondary becomes an instant dumpster fire that needs to be extinguished quickly. Deonte Banks is an NFL Draft fire truck, and will give the Rams roster and secondary a completely new feel. He is a true perimeter corner, and will have a typical learning curve in adapting to the bigger and more physical NFL level of play. But he is a 6-foot-0 197-pound defensive back who can play zone or man-press coverage, tackles well, and is like a bloodhound on the scent when tracking a football.

He is not Jalen Ramsey's equal, and will need to hit the weight room to add muscle mass in order to withstand the physicality in the NFL, particularly on run defense. But he is a first-round talent, and the fact that he falls to the Rams at 36 is exactly why the Rams need to be ready to stick at that spot and make a selection that adds Banks to the Rams roster.

The LA Rams are not the type of team that warms up to rookies easily, and even less willing to start a rookie at such an important spot as starting cornerback. But Denote Banks is so talented and NFL ready that he will be expected to lead the Rams secondary right out of the gate, and he will be up for the challenge.

While he is raw, and will need time to get stronger and more confident in all aspects of the position, his pass defense is outstanding and natural. I love this young man's fit for the Rams, and would be ecstatic if the Rams nail a starting cornerback right out of the gates. A great first selection.