The Los Angeles Rams opted to sit out the first round again on Thursday night, trading the 31st overall pick to the Falcons. They move back to No. 45, while also picking up an extra third-rounder at No. 79 overall, giving the Rams four picks in the top 100. There are a number of ways they can go on Day 2 with so many quality players still available, but here’s our best guess at what the Rams will come away with in Rounds 2 and 3. Round 2, No. 45: SS Taylor Rapp, Washington There’s going to be a run on defensive backs early in the second round with Nasir Adderley, Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, Byron Murphy and Greedy Williams all likely to be selected. The Rams would probably love to have any of those four, but they’ll “settle” for the next-best in Rapp. He’s a very safe pick with a high floor, even if his ceiling isn’t as high as Adderley or Gardner-Johnson. Rapp isn’t the best athlete, but he’s certainly capable of shadowing tight ends and being an impact player in the box early on.<doc-sep>If you think first-round mock drafts are a waste of time, then you'll really appreciate second-round mock drafts... In our first round mock draft, we matched seven players with the correct team, though some in different draft slots, so certainly imperfect, but seven isn't too shabby. We lost our way projecting too many trades, so we're going to play the second round straight up. The Colts have three picks in the second round (for now) and plenty of the team's needs can be met with a bunch of quality wide receivers, cornerbacks and safeties still available. Doyel:Friday will be fun but Colts ruined our night by trading out of 1st round More:Who the Colts might be targeting with their three 2nd-round picks ROUND 2 33. Arizona — WR D.K. Metcalf, Ole Miss. Larry Fitzgerald can't play forever. And while Metcalf is far from the finished product, he can learn from one the league's best craftsman. Arizona took Christian Kirk in the second round last year and would be wise to pair him with the big-bodied, athletic freak Metcalf. 34. Indianapolis (via Jets) — OL Cody Ford, Oklahoma. An unsexy pick as offensive line isn't the Colts' most pressing need (or even a need at all), but Chris Ballard may be tempted to search for Anthony Castonzo's eventual replacement. 35. Oakland — TE Irv Smith, Alabama. Antonio Brown and Tyrell Williams boosted the Raiders receiving corps, but help at tight end remains a must. Jared Cook walked in free agency and Lee Smith, the Raiders' projected starter, is entering his ninth season and has never had more than 12 catches in a season. 36. San Francisco — WR Deebo Samuel, South Carolina. Jimmy Garoppolo needs weapons and while Marquise Goodwin is decent, he's not a No. 1. Samuel can be. 37. Seattle (via Giants) — S Nasir Adderley, Delaware. Finding a replacement for Earl Thomas at free safety fills a need, and Adderley is a rising prospect with good ball skills. 38. Jacksonville — WR Terry McLaurin, Ohio State. The Donte Moncrief Experiment didn't work as planned and while Dede Westbrook and Marqise Lee are adequate receivers, there's still a need to give Nick Foles better weapons. Last year's second round pick, D.J. Chark, is still very much a work in progress. 39. Tampa Bay — OT Jawaan Taylor, Florida. Concerns about an apparent knee injury seem to have caused who many believed to be the top offensive tackle in the draft to fall this far. 40. Buffalo — WR Parris Campbell, Ohio State. The jury is still out on Zay Jones and the Bills added Cole Beasley in free agency to handle the slot. Josh Allen could still use a receiver to take the top off the defense. Enter, Campbell. 41. Denver — QB Drew Lock, Missouri. John Elway didn't have to take the plunge in the first round, but in the second round, why not? 42. Cincinnati — LB Mack Wilson, Alabama. The Bengals missed out on Devin Bush when the Steelers jumped one pick in front of them to take the Michigan linebacker. Vontaze Burfict has taken his act to Oakland, leaving a void in the Bengals' linebacking corps. 43. Detroit — CB Byron Murphy, Washington. The Lions don't seem sold on 2017 second-rounder Teez Tabor and brought in former Colt Rashaan Melvin in free agency, but you can never have too many corners. 44. Green Bay — WR A.J. Brown, Ole Miss. Davante Adams remains Aaron Rodgers' go-to guy, and the Packers like Geronimo Allison and Equanimeous St. Brown, who stand at 6-3 and 6-5, respectively. But Brown has the potential to be a ready-made replacement for Randall Cobb. 45. L.A. Rams (via Atlanta) — G Connor McGovern, Penn State. Starting guard Rodger Saffold left in free agency, so there's a need here. Linebacker may be a greater need, but there isn't great value there with what's left on the board. 46. Indianapolis (via Washington) — DE Jaylon Ferguson, Louisiana Tech. The Colts added veteran pass rusher Justin Houston in free agency, but you can never have too many pass rushers. Ferguson holds the FBS record with 45 career sacks. 47. Carolina — CB Greedy Williams, LSU. Hard to think that Williams was thought by many to be the top-ranked corner in the draft, but here he is. 48. Miami — G/C Elgton Jenkins, Mississippi State. Offensive line is an area of need, and Jenkins' versatility makes him an intriguing option. 49. Cleveland — T Greg Little, Ole Miss. Joe Thomas retired and Kevin Zeitler was traded, leaving some holes along the offensive line. 50. Minnesota — OL Dalton Risner, Kansas State. Even after drafting Garrett Bradbury in the first round, don't think the Vikings are done trying fix their awful offensive line. Going 1-2 with linemen worked out well for the Colts last year. 51. Tennessee — WR J.J. Arcega-Whiteside, Stanford. 2017 first-round pick Corey Davis showed improvement last season, but the Titans and Marcus Mariota could use a dependable second option. 52. Denver (via Pittsburgh) — C Erik McCoy, Texas A&M. Matt Paradis left via free agency, so there's an opportunity for McCoy to step in right away. 53. Philadelphia (via Baltimore) — S Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, Florida. The Eagles hope they found Jason Peter's successor in the first round with Andre Dillard, but safety remains an area that could use improvement. 54. Houston (via Seattle) — CB Rock Ya-Sin, Temple. The Texans reached with Tytus Howard in the first round, but it filled an area of need. Another area of need is corner (the ghost of T.Y. Hilton continues to haunt Houston.) 55. Houston — OL David Edwards, Wisconsin. Even with the Tytus Howard selection, the Texans offensive line needs a complete overhaul after allowing a league-high 62 sacks last season. 56. New England (via Chicago) — DE/LB Chase Winovich, Michigan. Ninkovich worked, so why not Winovich. Plus, he will help offset the loss of Trey Flowers in free agency. 57. Philadelphia — CB Julian Love, Notre Dame. There's a help wanted sign hanging in the Eagles' secondary. 58. Dallas — DT Dre'Mont Jones, Ohio State. David Irving's decision to stay home and smoke pot makes defensive line an area of need. 59. Indianapolis — CB Justin Layne, Michigan State. Sticking with my first-round projection here. Chris Ballard loves drafting corners. And Ballard loves taking taller corners. Quincy Wilson (2017) is 6-2. Nate Hairston (2017) is 6-0. Marcus Peters (2015) is 6-0. One of the best picks he's had a hand in was Charles Tillman in 2003. Tillman is 6-2. Layne is just shy of 6-2. His 15 pass break-ups last season led the Big Ten and was 10th in the FBS. 60. L.A. Chargers — CB Trayvon Mullen, Clemson. Jason Verrett left for San Francisco, so the Chargers need to find his replacement. 61. Kansas City — CB Sean Bunting, Central Michigan. Receiver might become a priority with the Tyreek Hill news, but we'll stick with a corner. 62. New Orleans — CB Lonnie Johnson, Kentucky. Let the run on cornerbacks continue. Yeesh. 63. Kansas City (via L.A. Rams) — WR Mecole Hardman, Georgia. If the Chiefs end up cutting Tyreek Hill, then Sammy Watkins is really all they've got at wide receiver. Hardman can also fill in as a return man. 64. New England — TE Jace Sternberger, Texas A&M. Gronk gone.<doc-sep>
The first round of the 2019 NFL Draft is in the books. While the Los Angeles Rams traded back to serve up a third consecutive year without a first-round pick, they added a third-round pick at little expense to give them four picks on Day 2. We’re gonna be busy tonight. So this morning, we have a new second round mock from Mocking the Draft’s Dan Kadar. Down at #45, Kadar has us going with: #45.) Texas A&M Aggies C Erik McCoy Obviously for roster gap, it makes plenty of sense. I actually took McCoy at #31 in the 2019 SB Nation writers mock draft saying this: The Rams got their offensive line transition underway a year ago in the 2018 NFL Draft with the selection of guard Joseph Noteboom and center Brian Allen with the 89th and 111th picks, respectively. Now that starting left guard Rodger Saffold III and starting center John Sullivan have left town, the transition can begin in earnest. But with left tackle Andrew Whitworth around for one last ride and right guard Austin Blythe set to prove his 2018 season was no fluke, there’s not much long-term stability on the line. McCoy’s a fine interior line prospect. While he was a three-year starter at center, he does have experience at right guard. That kind of versatility has been known to be valuable to Rams run game coordinator and offensive line coach Aaron Kromer. So which position would McCoy compete for? Don’t know, but it probably doesn’t matter. The Rams’ staff can sort it out in training camp and through the preseason as they look to build their line of the future… Starting now. More than just the pick itself though, it’s a decent demonstration of why a trade down always made the most sense as long as the Rams could get the kind of compensation they ultimately did. Here, you get a player like McCoy you could have justified earlier while also adding a top-80 pick. Consider that in an early April mock, Kadar had us taking Temple Owls QB Rock Ya-Sin; I thought that was a perfect example of why the Rams were in good position to trade back even that late in the draft preparation process. Ya-Sin didn’t go in last night’s first round, so it’s not as if the Rams are going to miss out on quality talent in this range. In Kadar’s mock, he has LSU Tigers CB Greedy Williams at #33, Ya-Sin at #36, Florida Gators OT Jawaan Taylor at #37, Oklahoma Sooners OT Cody Ford at #38, Alabama Crimson Tide LB Mack Wilson at #42, and Kansas State Wildcats OT Dalton Risner at #44. It won’t take much for any of those prospects to slide back to where the Rams are at #45. And should they feel so compelled for any of them, they could easily spend some late Day 3 capital to jump back up. And that’s without noting all the other prospects who go in Kadar’s second round that could be consideration for the Rams! In the end, the Rams are sitting in good position heading into tonight’s proceedings with a chance to stack up some quality players as they begin to build out their 2019 draft class.