Rams land a Tyler Higbee successor in this unique 3-round Rams mock draft

Day 2 - 90th overall pick

If the Rams resist the urge to trade back to convert their Round 1 pick into a Round 2 plus other picks, fans will have waited patiently for nearly 24 hours for the team to return to the draft podium. Still, even before any selections are announced in Round 3, the heart of the best draft values runs through Rounds 3 and 4. So it's logical to conclude that whoever the Rams select in Round 3 will be well worth the wait.

So who might the Rams select in Round 3?

Option 1 - DT Joshua Farmer

It's impossible to ignore the fantastic synergy generated by the Rams focusing on two Florida State Seminoles elite defenders in the 2024 NFL Draft. So why not triple down, invoke the third-time's-a-charm mantra, and select another elite defender who already knows both Braden Fiske and Jared Verse? And it just so happens that 6-foot-3, 305-pound nose tackle Joshua Farmer is on the board and ready to join his former teammates.

What I love about Farmer is that he is a huge, big-bodied fireplug who is as adept at stuffing runs and gobbling up multiple blockers as he is at applying a pass rush. In his final two seasons of college football, Farmer put up 64 tackles, 15 tackles for a loss, and 9.0 quarterback sacks. He even forced a fumble and put his hands up to deflect two passes.

Farmer arrives in the NFL as a plug-and-play rotational defender, but armed with a solid arsenal of pass rush moves and a passion to develop and hone his skills even further. And let's not ignore the fact that he already has two elite former teammates starting on the Rams' defensive front to push him to his competitive limits.

Farmer is the type of Day 2 rookie who can fill a starting role as needed, but can be equally effective as a rotational and versatile defender to give the Rams' defense multiple looks and sub-packages. Farmer is big enough to redirect opposing offensive running backs, while still applying ample pressure on the quarterback to get rid of the football or take a sack.

Option 2 - OT Charles Grant

With William & Mary offensive tackle Charles Grant, the Rams land a 6-foot-5, 311-pound offensive tackle who is likely a more polished and competent rookie linemen than many rookies selected before him. But he is entering the NFL from a small school football program, which leaves some questions in the minds of some NFL GMs who prefer to see how a rookie handles elite opponents.

But it's impossible to deny Grant as a rookie prospect with elite NFL upside. After all, this guy stands 6-foot-5, weighs 311 pounds, and boasts a Mr. Fantastic arm reach of seven feet. He was even an accomplished wrestler, and his balance and footwork created a solid foundation for a high-level NFL career

Despite his impressive physical attributes, Grant will need some coaching to clean up some poor techniques and bad habits. He will also need time and patience to acclimate to a much higher level of competition. Thankfully, the Rams have the time, the patience, and the coaching quality to afford Charles Grant the time and training to realize his optimal self at his own pace. As a Round 3 rookie, he will likely get plenty of preseason work and may even be used on special teams to get the feel of the NFL in his rookie season.

If selected, he immediately enters the competition to become Rob Havenstein's heir apparent.

Option 3 - LB Danny Stutsman

While I am unconvinced that the Rams value the inside linebacker position well enough to spend a Round 3 pick on the role, I admit that the front office would be very wide indeed to select Oklahoma Sooners powerhouse inside linebacker Danny Stutsman in Round 3. Stutsman has been a solid high-volume starter for the past three seasons. And at 6-foot-3 and 233 pounds, Stutsman arrives at the NFL with the size, power, and prowess that earmark him for a starting role in this defense.

While blessed with remarkable size and power, Stutsman's superpower is his ability to recognize and diagnose opposing offenses. While not incredibly fast, his impressive football IQ more than compensates, allowing him to be in the right place at the right time to give a powerful thump of welcome to the ball carrier before he reaches daylight.

Stutsman is a high-volume tackler who blends run-stuffing, defensive takeaways, pass coverage, and quarterback pressure into a single defender. Considered to be the seventh-ranked linebacker on the board when the 2025 NFL Draft opens, he brings plenty of Rams-desired traits to the team.

In his final three seasons, he averaged 113 tackles, 12 tackles for a loss, 2.3 QB sacks, 2.7 pass deflections, and 1.0 interceptions per season. Best of all, his physicality presents a superb rookie special-teams player for coverage units. The Rams may not view the inside linebacker position as a Day 2 priority. But if they do, and Danny Stutsman is on the board, the defense will experience an immediate upgrade.