The Los Angeles Rams don't have many holes on either side of the ball, which makes their first-round selection ever more interesting. Do the Rams add a Day 1 playmaker on offense like a receiver or tight end, find a starter on defense or maybe even add a rookie quarterback?
Whatever the Rams do, it should be in service of helping them win in 2025. That means finding a piece to either shore up depth or start in Week 1. The best possible positions to target in that regard are at inside linebacker and cornerback — two areas the Rams lacked in this past season and didn't upgrade in free agency.
The Rams add to their linebacker corps in a new mock draft from Sports Illustrated's Matt Verderame, which featured a trade at every selection. For the Rams, Verderame wrote that L.A. will trade up two spots with the Minnesota Vikings to take Alabama linebacker Jihaad Campbell. The Rams gave up four total picks in the trade, including all three of their sixth-round selections: Nos. 26, 195, 201 and 202.
"The Rams have one of the best, young front fours in the game," Verderame wrote. "However, they could use a little punch at the second level. Enter Campbell, who might be the best pure linebacker in this class. Campbell was a star for the Crimson Tide, posting 117 tackles and five sacks last season. He also has some chops in pass coverage, totaling two interceptions."
Campbell is the top inside linebacker in the draft, so moving up two spots and only giving three Day 3 picks is a solid investment for a player who can start on Day 1 for the Rams. He wracked up five sacks in 2024 with 12 tackles for a loss and two forced fumbles and would immediately push Omar Speights, Nate Landman and Troy Reeder for a starting role.
While this move would lessen the Rams' draft class by three players, the late-round picks may not account to as much as Campbell would provide.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: 2025 mock NFL draft: Rams trade up for SEC star