With solid roster upgrade moves, Los Angeles Rams General Manager Les Snead has positioned the team to be very flexible in next month’s NFL Draft. In conjunction Earlier this week, the NFL announced the compensatory picks for the upcoming NFL Draft. The Los Angeles Rams official slate is Rd1-#13, Rd2-#61, Rd3-#93, Rd6-#207, Rd7-#231, Rd7-#251, Rd7-#252.
With no glaring weaknesses, L.A. can realistically use those first three early picks to move on the best player available within the Top 100, no matter
the position. But what of the late round picks? In keeping with past history, the Rams have a bevy of Day 3 picks.
There are a handful of guard prospects that deserve looking at. While the Rams return starters Kevin Dotson and Steve Avila, both are free agents next offseason and the backups appear to be just that. Here are six candidates that fit into the Rams current mold, over 325 lb. and big wingspans.
Anez Cooper – Miami 6’6” 334 lb. 34” arms 10” hands
Consensus three-star recruit, comes out as a true junior. Dropped 55 lb., down from 405, before joining the Hurricanes and earned a starting role at guard as a true freshman. In three seasons, he played in 36 games with 30 starts. Played in college around 350 lb. and weighed in at 334 for the NFL Combine.
Even though quite tall, Cooper has a blocky, compact frame with a low-set center of balance. 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, although not a great striker in space. Versus the run, did a lot of both reach blocking and 1on1 drive, proving adept at both. Doesn’t get enough consistent knee bend and plays high too often, so he doesn’t show jolting power, but does stay attached and keeps feet moving to drive defenders. Definitely a finisher, playing through the whistle. In pass protection, Does a pretty good job of using his length, but could use polish on accuracy and it would help him latch on inside to control rushers. Better as an first-move attacker than sitting back and waiting on pass rush, but quickly gets into set position with a wide base.
I like this prospect, there’s grooming to be done and with all that weight loss, play strength to be increased. But he’s young, nifty for big man, and has the reputation to work on what coaches want. Grade him late Round 4 and most outlets rate him later, I say “good value” if he falls to Round 6 or 7.
Jeremiah Wright – Auburn 6’5” 331 lb. 33 1/8” arms 10 1/4” hands
Three-star recruit from the 2020 class. Wright was moved to the defensive line as a freshman and lost 2021 to a knee injury. After bouncing back and fort between the offensive and defensive lines, he settled in at guard. Started every game game in his final two years, 24 straight. Named to the Senior Bowl.
Phone booth mauler. A strong run blocker who’s best grinding downhill. Wright has the nasty edge and finishes opponents to the ground. Drive power to clear out holes and shows real knockdown power in his punch. He uses a combination strike/judo throw to cast defenders aside. He’s heavy-footed, but gets to the second level off double teams, can get around the corner on pulls, and hustles downfield on screens. He lacks plus quickness, lateral agility and change of direction which hinders recovery/re-direct abilities. In the four games I watched, he was able in pass protection, but didn’t use that powerful punch to advantage enough. Too often high and outside of opposing chest plates. He doesn’t latch on to control rushers, allowing them into his chest and leading to hug/lobster blocks.
He’s only been a full-time offensive lineman for three seasons, so he’s a developmental project. Has the physical traits and aggressive demeanor pro teams look for. His technique is not bad, but his future depends on how quickly he grasps striking inside and clamping on. He has the requisite length and upper body strength, so repetition and consistency must be instilled. I grade Wright late Round 5/early Round 6, he offers a fairly high ceiling with grooming.
Micah Morris – Georgia 6’ 5” 335 lb. 33 5/8” arms 10 3/8” hands
Highly touted recruit, received four and five star rankings from top outlets. Turns 23 in August. No matter your pedigree, unless you stand out on Day 1, at Georgia, you wait your turn. After a redshirt in 2021, Morris saw a lot of special teams and rotational work. Finally getting some starts in 2024. All told, he played in 56 games with 19 starts. Academic star.
Morris has a lot of plus traits, a nice package of size, strength, and athleticism. Shows good get-off, move skills and light feet when pulling, getting to second level, and out on screens, but is just okay when striking in space. While he shows hints of being a real terror in the power game, he constantly plays too high and stops his feet at contact, not creating the leverage to drive defenders off the line of scrimmage. He appears content to seal off opponents, but does have the upper body strength to torque them. In pass protection, Morris sets a wide base and can really drop anchor. Although his punch is powerful and he has the strong hands to latch on, landing strikes are inconsistent and can end outside on the shoulders. Doesn’t appear to have that look-for-work instinct.
Even with prototypical size, strength, and athleticism. I grade Morris as late Round 6 prospect. While there are flashes of brilliance, his film doesn’t show the year-to-year improvement track of many other candidates and at times, too often, his effort looks lackadaisical. While he tested well at the NFL Combine, it doesn’t seem outstanding enough to bump him up.
Jaeden Roberts – Alabama 6’ 5” 333 lb. 33 3/8” arms 10 1/4” hands
Three-star recruit, turns 24 in December. Originally set to attend Auburn, but de-committed and signed with the arch-rival Crimson Tide. After a redshirt year, he went on to start 24 of 36 games over four seasons.
A power-based bruiser with the light feet and move skills to fit into any blocking scheme. Roberts shows flashes of being a dominant interior lineman, but a lack of mechanics has not yet been fully rectified. His film is littered with knock downs, pancakes, and blowing up opponents, but shows just as many gaffes. While he is a good linear athlete, stiffness and limited flexibility shows up in his short area agility and reaction moves. As a run blocker, Roberts squares up opponents and has good get-off, when he gets his hands on defenders, he has the upper body strength to torque them out of the hole and off their feet, as well as the lower body strength to drive them off the line. He often sticks to blocks and drives defensive linemen backwards five yards to the ground. Pass blocking is a work in progress, appears to be a bit slow in reacting to penetrating rushers and his footwork is clunky when trying to mirror them. Stiffness shows when trying to recover. His punch needs accuracy work, often allowing defenders access to his chest. When properly squared up, he does set a solid anchor to repel bullrushes.
Can NFL coaching harness Roberts’ power? A bona fide physical specimen, named to the Feldman’s Freaks List with 18% body fat and a long list of impressive weight room numbers. Minor injuries have slowed him down and he’s been studying yoga in pre-draft workouts to enhance flexibility and improve upon stiffness. I grade Roberts into mid-Round 6, with high ceiling potential, if he can get his technical basics up to par.
Joshua Braun – Kentucky 6’ 6” 325 lb. 34 5/8” arms 10 1/2” hands
25 year-old former four-star recruit. Not only a high school football star, Braun played tennis and was a state tournament participant. Had a well-traveled SEC college career, 63 games. He not only played, but logged 43 starts, seven at Florida and 12 at Arkansas before settling at Kentucky with 24 consecutive starts to close out his career.
Massive prospect who doesn’t play up to his size. He’s built more like a tackle than guard with those long arms. His play style is more nail than hammer as he appears to catch and control defenders rather than drive them out. In pass protection, his strong suit, Braun does a very good job of leveraging his length and grip strength to control opponents. He shows the experience to be patient before shooting his arms to strike and it’s generally accurate and jolting, followed by clamping on. He also uses a very good long arm move to keep pass rushers at bay. Against the run, he’s not a power guy, appears to be content to tie up and seal off. He plays a little high and can’t generate the leverage to dominate the line of scrimmage. He’s nimble and moves well when pulling, off combo’s to the second level, and to reach/seal.
Likely to be drafted on his physical and athletic traits. Braun has been effective for three different SEC teams, but is he physical enough to handle bigger, longer pros? More play strength would certainly help. He’s a good pass blocker and honestly, looks pretty in duo and inside zone blocking schemes. I have him right on the cusp of a draftable grade, Round 7. At the East-West Shrine Bowl, saw reps at both center and tackle.
Giovanni El-Hadi – Michigan 6’ 4” 326 lb. 32 1/4” arms 10 1/2’ hands
Four-star recruit turns 23 in August. After a redshirt year, El Hadi waited his turn, toiling on special teams. He took over as a starter for his final two seasons. Overall, he started 25 of 52 games. An ankle injury limited his senior year.
As of now, best suited for a zone offense. Shows good move skills and nifty feet. Did a lot of pulling at Michigan and was adept at both leading around the edge or reaching/sealing it off. Smoothly gets to second level. He hits accurately on the move. Pass protects with a wide base and good knee bend. His drive strength does not match his grip strength, which is stellar. El-Hadi felt he was pushed around too much in 2024 and put on 25 lb. for 2025. It put more sand into his pants, but he really needs pro strength/conditioning to help turn the weight gain into power. While his arm length is adequate, it is imperative that he strikes first and clamps on
El-Hadi projects as an undrafted free agent, but moves well and shows technical prowess. Not a finesse player, he’s certainly willing to mix it up. Even with the additional weight, his need to upgrade his play strength shows clearly. Let’s grade him as a camp body, with enough positives to compete for a practice squad berth and re-evaluate him in Year 2.
Any Rams here?
While the Rams offensive line room is already interior heavy, none of the backups match girth with the starters. While size is not the be-all-end-all, there’s a certain amount of logic in having reserves that mirror the size and traits of the first unit.
Afraid that none of this group offers serious positional versatility at this stage, although all six have taken some reps on both sides of the pivot. No small-school sleepers here, all have shown well against top college competition. While there’s a developmental aspect to all of them, each fits into a downhill run game like the Rams use, even the ones that need a little more sand. They were all good college players with potential reward for low risk. What more can you ask for a late round dart throw?
