The Los Angeles Rams are in a bit of a difficult spot when it comes to the offensive line heading into the 2026 NFL Draft. While they have all five starters solidified, four of the five starters are on the final years of their contracts. In the case of Warren McClendon, the Rams will almost certainly be looking to extend him if he performs well again. Coleman Shelton may not be among the best centers in the NFL, but the Rams could certainly do worse.
At guard is where things really get complicated.
When it comes to Steve Avila and Kevin Dotson, the Rams have more of a decision to make. They likely are only able to bring back one of them, and if they have to choose, Dotson is probably the one that they would sign to an extension. The Rams have good depth with Justin Dedich, but it’s hard to see him starting over the course of a 17-game season.
Given the contract situations of Avila and Dotson, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Rams take a guard in the 2026 NFL Draft. The question here becomes when they decide to take a player at that position. With the Rams running more duo concepts in recent years, we’ve seen how much good guard play can catapult the run game. When Dotson was hurt last season, the Rams struggled to run the ball with him out of the lineup because they missed his size.
The Rams taking a right tackle has been a popular choice in mock drafts. However, if the team gets a deal done with McClendon next spring, what happens to the player that the Rams just drafted to play right tackle? It may make sense for that player to be the sixth man on the offensive line in 2026, but that won’t be the case in 2027.
However, the same can’t be said about guard. While it hasn’t been a popular choice in mock drafts, when it comes to the offensive line, it’s a pick that makes the most sense. As mentioned previously, the Rams are likely only brining back one of Avila and Dotson. At this point, the player signing an extension is likely Dotson. With the 13th overall pick, the Rams can get ahead of replacing their left guard, by selecting the best left guard prospect in the draft in Penn State’s Olaivavega Ioane. In fact, The Ringer’s Todd McShay called Ioane, “arguably the best guard prospect since 2018 sixth pick Quenton Nelson.”
It’s been said multiple times at this point, unless the Rams are able to draft a player such as Jeremiyah Love, Sonny Styles, or Rueben Bain Jr., there likely isn’t a day one impact player to be had for this roster at the 13th overall pick. At least in the immediate, even if it’s Makai Lemon or Kenyon Sadiq, that player is likely a depth player. This isn’t to say there aren’t good players in the draft, but for the Rams, this is likely more of a ‘depth’ draft than a ‘starters’ draft.
If the Rams are going to take a depth piece, it makes more sense to take one on the offensive line where having depth is the most valuable and at a position than lines up with expiring contracts after this season. That’s where Ioane fits perfectly.
While Avila has been good, he hasn’t necessarily lived up to the 36th overall pick draft status. He’s also missed playing time each of the last two years. Avila missed seven games with an MCL sprain in 2024 and missed four games with an ankle injury last season. Due to injuries on the offensive line in 2025, Beaux Limmer got a start at guard. The odds that Ioane gets some playing time would be fairly high.
Another scenario here is that Ioane outperforms Avila in training camp and becomes the starting left guard outright. Avila hasn’t played center in the NFL, but the Rams did train him there. There is a scenario in which Avila becomes the depth piece along the interior with guard-center versatility. The Rams tend to value experience, but similar to 2024 and 2025 in which the Rams eventually moved to Limmer and McClendon after short stints, if Avila misses time and Ioane proves himself valuable in the starting lineup, it’s well within the realm of possibility.
Given the position value at guard, is it likely that the Rams would take Ioane at 13? Probably not. If the Rams take a guard, it is more likely that they do so in the second or third round. However, the need is there and a guard arguably makes more sense than a tackle at that spot. This is a scenario that hasn’t been talked about at all and is certainly worth a discussion.
It’s simply another example that the Rams have options with the 13th overall pick. While they could certainly go wide receiver or take a rare athlete such as Sadiq, a player like Ioane shouldn’t be completely thrown out either.
