At first glance, guard is not a pressing need for the Los Angeles Rams, both Kevin Dotson and Steve Avila return for 2026, but looking deeper, maybe it’s not such a reach.
Both Avila and Dotson are free agents after the season. Avila has missed nine games and parts of two others over the past two seasons, while last year, Dotson was out two games and missed parts of five others.The backups of note, Justin Dedich and Beaux Limmer have seen a decent amount of field time, but their play could be described
as sketchy.
Before dismissing the idea of taking a guard early in the draft, here’s look at prospects with draftable grades off my Top 300 Big Board.
Round 1
Olaivavega Ioane – Penn State 6’5” 320 lb.
Dense, thick frame built to play downhill in a between the tackles run game. When getting behind his lowered pads he road grades, needs to work on consistent knee and hip drops, not bending over. Stellar pass blocker, his length is adequate, but huge strong hands clamp on and lock down. Wide base sets a strong anchor.
Round 2
Emmanuel Pregnon – Oregon 6’4” 314 lb.
Thick-cut with vast experience, 3000+ snaps. Outstanding pass blocker, only one sack in last 1500+ snaps. Sets a wide base and keeps feet moving, throws a jolting punch and has powerful grip strength, stoning rushers. Mirrors well in short areas and can drop a solid anchor. Just an okay athlete, he’s a downhill driver in the run game
Chase Bisontis – Texas A&M 6’5” 315 lb.
Athletic build. Looked very smooth and balanced in NFL Combine field drills. Adept in both run and pass. Good overall mechanics, could work a bit on pad level. Good get-off and keeps his feet moving to mirror and react. Strong lower body to drive opponents. Accurate punch and good hand fighter, but his okay length means he has to strike first.
Keylan Rutledge – Georgia Tech 6’4” 315 lb.
Blocky build, with good strength. Tested surprisingly well for agility at Combine. Played in a primarily downhill blocking scheme, but was effective on pulls and to the second level. Good power and nasty finisher, Very good at combo blocks. Needs polish pass blocking. Better pad level, balance, patience, footwork instead of reaching.
Round 3
Jalen Farmer – Kentucky 6’5” 312 lb.
Physically imposing with long arms (34.5”). Elite strength and above average athlete. Agility isn’t up to rest of his traits. Understands how to leverage length and punch has knock-back power, although his hands and strikes are inconsistent. Can drop a strong anchor. Good first step and unleashes hips to drive defenders out of hole on runs.
Billy Schrauth – Notre Dame 6’5” 310 lb.
Well-rounded, high floor player player. Good mechanics with adequate size, length and athleticism. Good lower and upper strength. Not a jarring punch, but very accurate inside defenders shoulders and he sustains there. Understands positioning, leverage and angles. Stays low with feet moving to open run lanes. Competitive nature.
Round 4
Anez Cooper – Miami 6’6” 334 lb.
Nice feet and move skills for a big man. His field drills at the NFL Combine showed strong balance, agility, and change of direction. Smooth and fluid when getting to second level off combo’s, pulling, and getting out on screens, Definitely a finisher, playing through the whistle.
Round 5
Beau Stephens -Iowa 6’6” 315 lb.
Well-coached in mechanics, but lacks length and athleticism. Needs an upgrade in play strength. Good first step and nimble feet for reach and seal blocks. Played a lot of outside zone scheme, can lay the wood when he gets moving. Although he doesn’t set a mean anchor, there’s good footwork and hands. Not afraid to mix it up.
Ar’Maj Adams – Texas A&M 6’6” 314 lb.
Big and strong with long arms. Edgy play style with finishers mentality. Keeps feet moving to drive defenders out of play. Best moving downhill. Although he can play too high, throws a jarring punch and can latch on and control, but late at times. Good recognition on stunts/loops/twists.
Febechi Nwaiwu – Oklahoma 6’4” 319 lb.
Stellar pass blocker. Has great length and throws a heavy punch, using both two-handed and long arm strikes accurately, and shows a powerful grip to latch on, control, and really drop an anchor. Plays too high in run game, losing leverage and power. Worked out at center during the Shrine Bowl.
Jeremiah Wright – Auburn 6’5” 331 lb.
Phone booth mauler. A strong run blocker who’s best grinding downhill. Wright has a nasty edge and finishes opponents to the ground. A bit heavy-footed, but gets to the second level off double teams, can get around the corner on pulls, and hustles downfield on screens. Requisite length and upper body strength.
Round 6
DJ Campbell – Texas 6’3” 313 lb.
Durable with 43 starts and 2600+ reps. Thick build with stellar arm length and huge hands, uses both to extend and latch on. Solid punch. Power-based game, but shows good get-off and short area move skills. Played a lot of “duo” run blocking scheme. A bit slow reacting to outside speed and had too many penalties.
Fernando Carmona – Arkansas 6’5” 315 lb.
Sneakily athletic, with nifty feet. Easy mover on leads, pulls, and combinations. Adept at both gap/power and zone run schemes. Strikes well in space and sustains blocks. In pass pro, sets solid anchor and patient/accurate with punch. Latches on inside and stays square to control rushers. Played tackle early in college career.
Logan Taylor – Boston College
Good all-round game. Elite arm length, with huge, strong hands. Can play both tackle and guard. Good pad level, knee bend, and balance for a tall player. Acceptable move skills with good footwork. Pass rushers who beat him exploited lazy hand/punch work. Good game film. Named to Senior Bowl.
Round 7
Carver Willis – Washington 6’5” 303 lb.
On the light side, has frame for more mass. Good technician needs play strength work. Aggressive and effective run blocker. Good get-off, squares up well and hits what he’s aiming for. Keeps his feet moving and sustains well. Lack of strength and sand shows in pass blocking, but has active, accurate hands.
Jaeden Roberts – ‘Bama 6’5” 333 lb
Bona fide physical specimen, on Feldman’s Freaks List with 18% body fat. Power-based bruiser with light feet and move skills to fit any blocking scheme. Shows flashes of being a dominant interior lineman, but lacks mechanics. His film is littered with knock downs, pancakes, and blowing up opponents, but shows just as many gaffes.
Micah Morris – Georgia 6’ 5” 334 lb.
Nice package of size, strength, and athleticism. Shows good get-off, move skills and light feet to pull, get to second level, and out on screens. Plays too high and stops his feet at contact, not creating the leverage to drive defenders off the line of scrimmage. Sets a wide base and can really drop anchor. Powerful and strong hands to latch on.
Josh Thompson – LSU 6’5” 310 lb.
My sleeper, just happened to notice him watching LSU film. Good all-around game, smooth and balanced. Not a hulking thumper, he uses good technique, positioning angles, and leverage. To clear lanes, he squares up well, sustains and keeps his feet moving. Sets a solid anchor, unlocking his hips to repel.
My guys
Olaivavega Ioane is a fit into the Rams offensive scheme, but he comes at the price of a Round 1 pick. He’s downhill, power run blocker and is a very strong pass blocker. It would likely mean “see you later” to Dotson or Avila after the season. It wouldn’t be sexy, but would be a long-term lockdown of a very important piece in the Rams offense.
Towards the middle rounds, I like Billy Schrauth of Notre Dame. I have him graded in Round 3, but most of the Big Boards I have seen, put him later. Schrauth is another seamless fit into the L.A. offense, he’s experienced, the Irish used a lot of inside zone and duo blocking schemes. More of a pro style offense than most schools, adept as both a run and pass blocker.
There’s a lot of late round prospects I think the Rams could coach up, but I’ve settled on Fernando Carmona. He’s later than Round 6 on most of the Big Boards I’ve seen, but I think he has both the physicality and move skills for the pros. Although his arms are shorter than the standard, he played tackle for a couple of seasons. As a comp, his talent level would be in the Beaux Limmer tier, but with better move skills,
Do you think the Rams should draft a guard, if so, what round should they be looking?
