Rams may be just in range to quietly draft Coleman Shelton's replacement

The Los Angeles Rams enter this year's draft with a sneaky need to address their near future at the center position. Current starter Coleman Shelton, who has spent six years in two separate stints in Los Angeles, will be a free agent next offseason. 

He will enter this season at age 31. He's getting older, but not cheaper. Shelton will carry a $9.5 million cap hit in 2026.

That's okay, but it also means the Rams should start throwing some darts at a replacement. In a win-now season, that's unlikely to happen in the early rounds. They don't own a pick in the fourth or fifth rounds, creating a gulf between the 93rd overall selection in Round 3 and pick No. 207 in the sixth. 

Enter Indiana Hoosiers center Pat Coogan, whose stock has quietly slipped into the sixth or seventh round. Even in a rather uninspiring class of interior linemen, he could absolutely be available for the Rams at 207th overall. Coogan isn't an elite prospect, but he's big, he's a leader, and he has a championship resume. 

Rams could take Coogan as low-risk investment on possible future starter

Realistically, GM Les Snead will flip one of his earlier picks for Day 3 draft capital to bridge the gap between the third and sixth rounds. Even so, he probably won't need to use a fifth-rounder on Coogan. The Hoosiers product isn't guaranteed to be there at 207, but that's right in range given his consensus rank of 211th. 

Despite short arms and a pedestrian athletic profile, Coogan could be an appealing low-cost investment for the Rams. Among college centers last season, Pro Football Focus graded him 14th out of 307. He earned marks in the top 10 percent in both pass protection and run blocking. 

Protecting Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza, he allowed no sacks and no quarterback hits. He allowed seven pressures all season and committed just two penalties. If nothing else, he was the definition of dependable.

At 6-foot-5 and 311 pounds, he is a similar build to Shelton, though a bit heavier. Shelton was himself an undrafted free agent out of Washington, a vagabond of NFL practice squads until the Rams gave him a shot in 2019. He's gone on to start 66 games out of 107 played, including 64 in the past four years. He will add to that total this season. 

Coleman's own career, though, goes to show that the Rams shouldn't reject Coogan due to an uninspiring 6.80 Relative Athletic Score (boosted by his size) or his 5.92 prospect grade. That places him in the tier of "average backup or special teamer," but draft expert Lance Zierlein believes he can be something more in the right setting, granting him "the potential to become a starter."

It couldn't hurt to start grooming future options. 2024 sixth-rounder Beaux Limmer started at center as a rookie but switched to guard last season, appearing in only five games. Seeing as the Horns welcomed Shelton back after all of a one-year absence, Sean McVay most likely does not want to reinstate Limmer.

As for other depth-chart possibilities, Dylan McMahon is, well, there. Coogan could come in, compete for backup reps as a rookie, and gain a year of mentorship. Maybe he starts in the future, or maybe not. The Rams could do worse than taking Coogan as a Day 3 pick. 

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