The Los Angeles Rams continue to be linked to a dynamic wide receiver in the first round of mock drafts.
There are some big needs for the Los Angeles Rams to compete and get back to the big show. While bolstering the offensive line and secondary is paramount, the team has two first-round picks to play with.
In most mock drafts thus far, the Rams target the secondary in a big way. While this new mock draft does indicate that with the No. 29 overall pick, Los Angeles also addresses the wide receiver department at No. 13.
The Rams and general manager Les Snead put themselves in a solid place by trading down in 2025, securing the Atlanta Falcons' first-round pick in 2026. That pick ended up being the No. 13 overall selection, which is a great place to be.
Offensively, the Rams are solid, but the wide receiver department is a smart unit to address. Davante Adams is not getting any younger, and there is no other pass catcher who has the dynamic playmaking abilities of Puka Nacua.
With Adams suffering a lingering hamstring injury, the Rame relied on Xavier Smith and Konta Mumpfield, both of whom did not shine in a major way. The tight end room of Colby Parkinson, Tyler Higbee, and Terrance Ferguson was more reliable.
That said, the Rams need another receiver to mold under arguably the best tandem in the league. Enter USC's Makai Lemon.
The Athletic's Nate Atkins placed Lemon at the No. 13 spot for the Rams in a new mock draft.
"The Rams’ biggest need by far this offseason is outside cornerback, and it might be one they address in free agency or a trade. Rather than force the position right after the top two options went off the board, the Rams instead pivot to an underrated need at the third wide receiver spot. With Puka Nacua and Davante Adams in high-volume roles, the Rams must find better insurance for those engines than they had last season.
"Unlike Tutu Atwell, Lemon can find his way onto the field because he’s extremely physical and a strong blocker, which matters so much to Sean McVay. Lemon took his game to another level last season with 1,156 yards and 11 touchdowns. He’s a perfect future Adams replacement who can duplicate enough of Nacua to manage his snap share and volume load, too," Atkins wrote.
Atkins has a major point with Tutu Atwell. He was a healthy scratch towards the end of the season and through the playoffs, leaving him off the list of potential WR3 options that can assist Nacua and Adams.
Lemon, on the other hand, has shown that he can block, but he can also become a premier target for Matthew Stafford.
If the idea for Stafford is to go all-out in his presumed final season, adding more firepower for the signal caller is a must.
Atkins also indicated the Rams take Tennessee's Colton Hood at No. 29, satisfying a much bigger need.
"The Rams avoided the urge to fill their biggest need when the board didn’t line up at No. 13, but it falls into place here. Hood is a force in press-man and contested catch-and-run defense settings, bringing a different flavor to what the Rams tried out at this spot last season in Emmanuel Forbes Jr. Los Angeles has a nice track record with draft acquisitions from Tennessee, including linebacker Byron Young and safety Jaylen McCollough. If Hood can be a CB2 from the jump, it could set the Rams and, notably, their pass rush up to take a leap on this side of the ball," Atkins wrote.