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A month ago in the opening stages of free agency, former Rams safety Rodney McLeod signed with the Philadelphia Eagles. Now comes news that the Rams will meet with Ohio State Buckeyes S Vonn Bell in advance of the 2016 NFL Draft:
I'm told #OhioState safety Vonn Bell (who's been an extremely busy dude) has a visit on the books with the #LARams for early next week.
— Rand Getlin (@Rand_Getlin) April 7, 2016
It's an interesting meeting. Bell's a top prospect at his position (#1 SS by CBS Sports, #1 S overall per ESPN). And obviously with the departure of McLeod, the need obviously matches up.
But with just three picks in the first 45 overall in the 2016 NFL Draft coming off of a season in which the Rams posted the NFL's worst offense in yardage gained, the room for premium upgrades is limited. Still, there's logic here which makes it hard to hate.
Bell's either a plus hawk strong safety who is light in physicality or an aggressive free safety who is a bit light aggression-wise. I'm not going to suggest it's a like-for-like McLeod replacement...but only because the suggestion makes itself.
Where does he fit? Is he someone the Rams reach for at 15? Is he a fallback if they end up trading down from 15? Is he an automatic selection if he falls to them in the second round?