Rams Mock Draft: Les Sneads loads up roster with play-makers

10 Priority FA Signings post-draft

The LA Rams will waste no time after the 2024 NFL Draft to sign Stanford kicker Joshua Karty. I have seen at least some mocks who believe the kicker position warrants a mid-draft selection, but I cannot see it. The Rams are likely content to add one of five or six kickers, and there is just too much talent in this draft to name one in the draft. Karty possesses a strong and accurate leg, so the team signs him instantly after the draft.

The team wants to reinforce the secondary but runs out of draft picks. Maryland cornerback Tarheeb Still remains unclaimed and is signed after the draft. A 6-foot-0 189-pound defensive back, Still has ideal size and has demonstrated enough potential to be considered a slot corner in the NFL. He can read routes and knows almost instinctively where to be when the ball is released. If he bulks up a bit, he could compete for a larger role.

While the safety room is rather saturated, Florida State safety/linebacker Kalen Deloach ius worth adding another chair. He stands 6-foot-0 and weighs a burley 210-pounds. He is a safety/linebacker hyrbrid, a player who is consider too small to play three downs as a linebacker, but is considered too slow to be considered a three-down safety. As such, he fits a role as a nickle and dime package defensive back who can play as linebacker on passing downs. He also makes an ideal blitzer, adding a fifth pass rusher when the situation calls for added pressure.

The LA Rams love to get while the getting is good, so signing Texas wide receiver Jordan Whittington after the draft makes perfect sense. Whittington is an ideal size at 6-foot-1 and 205 pounds, and fits the mold of a receiver who will flourish in this offense. He runs and sells his routes like a veteran, He plays in pads quicker than his timed speed, and is a ferocious ball carrier once he secures the football in his hands. He is also experienced on special team as both a kick and punt returner.

Despite the addition of both Jimmy Garoppolo and prospect Joe Milton III, the team signs Notre Dame quarterback Sam Hartman to the roster after the draft. We know that Jimmy Garoppolo is injury-prone, Stetson Bennett is a wild card variable, and Joe Milton III and Dresser Winn are quite raw. That means that 6-foot-1 211-pound Sam Hartman has as much of a chance to make this roster as anyone. Hartman is a mobile pocket passer. While he will not have designed running plays, he can scramble enough to put up positive rushing yards. He loves to improvise, which can add value to this offense. If he has a strong training camp, he could emerge as the third-string quarterback.

The team may want to add depth to the running back position, and Marshall running back Rasheen Ali makes an ideal addition to the roster. Standing 5-foot-11 and weighing 206 pounds, Ali has the prerequisite size and speed to make an NFL roster. And he flashes the type of competitiveness, passion, and production that makes it easy to envision him succeeding. But his production sometimes lapses. He shows patience waiting for his lanes to open, but he will run into the backs of his blockers needlessly. He can run, catch, and even return punts and kickoffs.