The Los Angeles Rams are known to make moves around the NFL Draft. They didn't have a first-round pick for seven consecutive years before 2024 and still made a trade on Day 2 to move up in the second round.
While there is a possibility the Rams stay put at No. 26, NFL.com's Lance Zierlein believes they'll be among those teams that will trade up in the draft. Zierlein wrote in his mock draft that the Rams will trade up to No. 21 with the Pittsburgh Steelers to secure one of the best cornerbacks in the class: Texas' Jahdae Barron.
"Les Snead — no stranger to using draft capital aggressively — trades up to grab the best cornerback on the board before the Chargers or Packers can go sniffing around," Zierlein wrote.
While it's unclear what the Rams would have to give up to facilitate that trade, ESPN's Bill Barnwell wrote that it would likely take one of the Rams' two third-round picks to move up.
Barron would be a great get to L.A., and FOX Sports believes he and the Rams are a perfect fit.
The 23-year-old stands at 5-foot-11, weighs 200 pounds and was a production machine in 2024 for the Longhorns. He led the SEC with five interceptions this past season with 11 defended passes, one sack and 67 combined tackles. Barron finished his five seasons at Texas with eight interceptions, two sacks, 24 defended passes and 226 combined tackles.
Barron would likely push for a starting outside position in Chris Shula's defense. The current projected starters are Akhello Witherspoon and Darious Williams, with Cobie Durant and Emmanuel Forbes Jr. as backups.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Rams trade up to draft CB in new NFL.com mock draft
