The NFL Combine begins this week with interviews starting on Wednesday and then athletic testing beginning on Thursday. While the Los Angeles Rams will not be attending the Combine, they will still be paying attention to the testing and medical data. Here are some players on defense that the Rams should be watching.
Defensive Line/EDGE
- Reuben Bain Jr., Miami
- Jaishawn Barham, Michigan
- Dontay Corleone, Cincinnati
- Deven Eastern, Minnesota
- Romello Height, Texas Tech
- Lee Hunter, Texas Tech
- Quintayvious Hutchins, Boston College
- Tyler Onyedim, Texas A&M
- Domonique Orange, Iowa State
- Patrick Payton, LSU
- Mason Reiger, Wisconsin
- Wesley Williams, Duke
- Zion Young, Mizzou
The Rams may not draft a defensive lineman or edge rusher as they have young depth at both spots. Behind Jared Verse and Byron Young, the Rams have Josaiah Stewart. Ty Hamilton provides
depth on the defensive line. It would take a player like Bain falling for the Rams to address the position before late on Day 3 of the draft. Still, Lee Hunter is one of my favorite players of the class and it will be interesting to see how Hutchins and Young perform in the explosiveness drills. Wesley Williams could be a good value pick on special teams.
Linebackers
- Lander Barton, Utah
- Eric Gentry, USC
- Jake Golday, Cincinnati
- Justin Jefferson, Alabama
- Jack Kelly, BYU
- Kyle Louis, Pitt
- Jacob Rodriguez, Texas Tech
- Sonny Styles, Ohio State
Will the Rams draft a linebacker? They probably need to give Omar Speights some competition going into 2026. At the same time, it’s hard to see a mid to late-round linebacker giving Speights a serious push. Players to watch here will be Eric Gentry and Kyle Louis. Both are very good athletes, but are ‘tweener’ players. Some teams may see Louis more as a safety because of his size. It will be interesting to see how he tests. Players like Jake Golday and Justin Jefferson are expected to test extremely well.
Defensive Backs
- CB Brandon Cisse, South Carolina
- S Bud Clark, TCU
- CB Mansoor Delane, LSU
- CB Domani Jackson, Alabama
- S Jalon Kilgore, South Carolina
- CB Jermod McCoy, Tennessee
- Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, Toledo
- S Caleb Downs, Ohio State
- CB Colton Hood, Tennessee
- CB Chris Johnson, San Diego State
- CB D’Angelo Ponds, Indiana
- S Genesis Smith, Arizona
- CB Treydan Stukes, Arizona
- S Dillon Thieneman, Oregon
There are a lot of intriguing names among the defensive backs. The most important one from the Rams’ perspective will be Jermod McCoy. How is his health? If the Rams go cornerback at 13th overall, McCoy will be an option and he’s coming off of a torn ACL. Brandon Cisse should test very well. Cisse is a player that has all the athleticism, but is a little raw. When it comes to D’Angelo Ponds, how he measures will be very important. Ponds is smaller, but if his arm length is close to 30-inches, it shouldn’t be a huge concern.
