If the NFL Draft were about taking the best college players, the Los Angeles Rams should be applauded for their third round selection of offensive tackle Keagen Trost. He ranked as one of the most efficient blockers according to Pro Football Focus (PFF) and played nearly 3,000 snaps at the college level across stints at Missouri, Wake Forest, Indiana State, and Morgan State.
But the draft is infinitely more complicated than taking the best college players with the most projection. The real question
is whether there is adequate room for the individual growth at the NFL level in order to compete against the best athletes in the world.
Tim Tebow was one of the best quarterbacks in college football history. He had minimal room for development in the NFL and quickly flamed out. Tavon Austin’s highlight real at West Virginia goes blow for blow against any other. He never developed as a receiver for the Rams outside of special teams contributions.
This is the major concern with Trost. He’s already 25 years old and was effectively a professional playing against amateurs. Is he able to stay ahead of the curve as the competition level stiffens in the pros?
The Rams drafted a top college tackle
One silver lining that helps answer this question is that 2025 at Missouri was easily Trost’s best season in college. It’s clear that the SEC is a step up from Wake Forest (ACC) and Indiana State (MVC) where Trost spent the previous four years.
According to PFF, Trost was the nation’s best run blocker with a grade of 91.4. He ranked 27th among all offensive linemen who played at least 542 snaps. If you narrow the field to tackles only, Trost improves to eighth at his position group. He allowed just seven pressures, one sack, and four penalties on 432 snaps in pass protection. Overall Trost ranked first in PFF offensive grade among tackles and all linemen last season.
But I wouldn’t conclude just because of the 2025 production that Trost is a better run blocker than pass protector. If you carve out his two collegiate seasons where he played less than 70 snaps, he never posted a PFF pass blocking grade below 71.0. That’s above average at worst. His run grade dipped to its lowest at 63.9.
Trost also has the ability to play either tackle position. His time at Missouri was spent exclusively on the right. He alternated during his time at Wake Forest and Indiana State. The Rams also asserted post draft that Trost has the ability to play all five spots along the offensive line, although he played along the interior sparingly in college.
| Year | College | LT Snaps | RT Snaps |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Missouri | 0 | 864 |
| 2024 | Wake Forest | 105 | 662 |
| 2023 | Indiana State | 431 | 0 |
| 2022 | Indiana State | 63 | 539 |
How Trost fits with Rams
I think there are parallels to draw between Trost and the Rams’ current left tackle in Alaric Jackson. Jackson also played nearly 3,000 snaps in four seasons at Iowa with strong production. The only difference is that Jackson played nearly exclusively at left tackle only.
Jackson was not heralded in the 2021 draft class and was not selected. It’s rare for a former UDFA to become a multi-contract starter at the NFL level, but he defied the odds. Contributing to his lower draft stock was a 2019 knee injury, poor pre-draft athletic testing, and a lackluster Senior Bowl. Similar to Trost, Jackson had the production but teams were concerned how much better he could get as a professional.
At least for 2026 Trost provides experience and insurance behind Jackson and Warren McClendon. Both starters will likely need new contracts within the next year, and if Los Angeles is pleased with Trost’s development they now have a cost-controlled option in house. I’d guess that Justin Dedich, Beaux Limmer, or Dylan McMahon would step in if there were an injury along the interior offensive line even if Trost has the flexibility to play inside.
The preseason will be important in order to evaluate Trost’s NFL readiness. As an older draft pick he should in theory be able to hit the ground running and be good sooner than later. If not, the Rams have an issue.
Trost will likely see his number called at some point during the regular season given the attrition of a 17-game season and Jackson’s history of suspension and/or injury. McClendon hasn’t played enough for him to have a history.
The Rams’ vision for Trost is clear. It’s a wise pick. What is uncertain is whether Trost has room to grow into as good of a professional player as he was in college.
