Getty Oklahoma Sooners offensive lineman Anton Harrison in action against Oklahoma State during the 2022 "Bedlam" game.
While the Los Angeles Rams’ need for an edge rusher is well-known, what if the team were to look elsewhere when the No. 36 pick comes up on draft day?
Among the top needs for the Rams as they assemble the roster for 2023 is the offensive line, according to USA Today’s Cameron DaSilva.
Quarterback Matthew Stafford was sacked 29 times in nine games last season. He suffered a spinal cord contusion in a Week 11 loss to the New Orleans Saints and remained out for the rest of the season. As much as the Rams need players to get to the opponent’s quarterback, they also need talent to keep other teams away from Stafford.
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The team also has Day 2 picks at 69 and 77. The big names among the big men — Northwestern’s Peter Skoronski, Georgia’s Broderick Jones, Ohio State’s Paris Johnson Jr., and Tennessee’s Darnell Wright — are all likely to be off the board before the first round of the draft concludes. However, there are a number of tackles who project to be available in the second round.
Dawand Jones, Ohio State
It’s a good bet that the hulking Dawand Jones — a mountain of a man at 6-foot-8 and 374 pounds — will be off the board before the Rams are on the clock. However, if Johnson’s Buckeye linemate is still around at No. 36, Stafford may rush the stage and make the pick himself.
According to Michael Renner of Pro Football Focus, Jones allowed zero sacks and zero quarterback hits, with just five pressures allowed last season.
His draft profile on NFL.com states that “Jones is a work in progress with holes that will have to be covered up with scheme help, but he should become a starting right tackle if he maintains the playing weight he desires.”
Anton Harrison, Oklahoma
Anton Harrison is a 6-foot-4, 315-pounder that hails from a Sooner program that has produced many a great NFL tackle — including Lane Johnson and Trent Williams. At Oklahoma, he played predominantly at left tackle, earning All-Big 12 First Team honors for his junior season in 2022.
According to his draft profile on NFL.com, Harrison “has a feel for pocket depth and uses his length and an inside-out approach to get the job done, but NFL speed could have him scrambling without help.”
Michael Renner of Pro Football Focus has the “nimble” Harrison ranked ahead of Jones, citing only nine pressures allowed on 447 pass-blocking snaps.
Matthew Bergeron, Syracuse
A number of NFL mock drafts, including one from the Sporting News, have Bergeron as the Rams’ pick if they stand pat with their second-round pick. Michael Renner of Pro Football Focus says that Bergeron “has deadening hands that should translate to the next level.”
A native of Quebec, Canada, he caught the eye of Syracuse while playing prep football at Cégep de Thetford — a college of general and vocational education in Thetford Mines, Quebec, before moving south of the border to man the offensive line for the Orange.
Bergeron became the first freshman to start outside for the Orange in nearly 20 years during the 2019 season, according to his NFL.com draft profile. He was second-team All-ACC for Syracuse in 2022 during his junior year after being All-ACC honorable mention in 2021. He played both right and left tackle for the Orange.
His NFL.com draft profile states that Bergeron is “a dynamic run blocker” who is athletic enough to play tackle in the professional ranks, though “he could be best playing inside at guard.”
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Where’s the Beef?: 3 Tackle Options for Rams in 2023 NFL Draft