New 2018 NFL Mock Draft adds to consensus for Los Angeles Rams

Another mock, another piece of wood for the conventional wisdom fire.

The Sporting News’ Eric Galko updated his mock draft (warning...slideshow...) following the Super Bowl and it’s getting silly how strong the conventional wisdom is this year for the Los Angeles Rams.

As I write this, it’s the 26th major mock we’ve covered this year. Of those 26, (spoiler alert) it’s the 19th to mock a cornerback to the Rams. That’s a 73.08% rate. Pretty strong CW, this year!

The major storylines:

The top...4?

This one continues to really be difficult to pin down.

Galko goes with USC QB Sam Darnold, UCLA QB Josh Rosen, North Carolina St. DE Bradley Chubb, Penn St. RB Saquon Barkley followed by... Oklahoma OT Orlando Brown. I’m not sure I’ve seen Brown mocked to #5 in any mock as yet. A bit more conventional thereafter with Brown’s teammate in QB Baker Mayfield and Notre Dame G Quenton Nelson, but still. Identifying the top crop this year remains difficult.

The QBs

Darnold at 1, Rosen at 2 and Mayfield at 6. Galko’s mock is a bit unique with a trade at #9 as the San Francisco 49ers sell the pick to the Pittsburgh Steelers to swoop in to take Wyoming QB Josh Allen. Spicy! As Galko notes, this is a bit of a similar pick as the Kansas City Chiefs jumping up to take Pat Mahomes a year ago as their QB of the future.

No sighting of Louisville QB Lamar Jackson in Galko’s first round.

Cornering the cornerbacks

Ohio St. CB Denzel Ward is yet again the first cornerback to be selected, here to the Green Bay Packers at #14 overall. No other corners come off before the Rams at 23.

So you can see it coming a mile away.

23. Los Angeles Rams: Isaiah Oliver, CB, Colorado

The Rams are likely to lose Trumaine Johnson this offseason and have a dire need at cornerback. Oliver is a long, skilled vertical cornerback who can fill Johnson’s role well.

The only other cornerback in Galko’s mock is UCF CB Mike Hughes at 27 to the New Orleans Saints.

Two other notes:

• This is one of the few one-round mocks that I’ve seen that was heavy on offensive tackles. Galko has Brown at 5, Texas OT Connor Williams at 12, Pitt OT Brian O’Neill at 18, Western Michigan OT Chukwuma Okorafor at 22, Notre Dame OT Mike McGlinchey at 24 (though he lists him as a guard), UCLA OT Kolton Miller at 30 and Ohio St. Jamarco Jones at 32. Now part of that is the trades Galko has mocked up and part of it is predicting a run. Once you start predicting something abnormal in terms of position weight, it makes a run like this more feasible.
• This is another mock that pushes Boston College OLB Harold Landry beyond the Rams at 23. I think that schism may be one that takes on more attention and pressure once we get past free agency to know what the Rams’ real roster needs will be heading into the 2018 NFL Draft.