New 2020 mock draft has Los Angeles Rams adding to secondary

There’s a new 2020 mock draft out from CBS Sports’ R.J. White that’s related to our look into Peter King’s blurb in his power rankings for the Los Angeles Rams.

In it, King looked at the top of the Rams’ cornerback depth chart:

I’m more concerned with what the heck happened to Marcus Peters last year, and whether in a pass-happy NFC West the Peters-Aqib Talib combo platter can be the top cornerback group in the division like the Rams planned. Peters, per Pro Football Focus, was the league’s 11th-rated corner in 2016 and 18th-rated corner in 2017 … and in 2018, his first year in L.A., he plummeted to 91st, allowing a garish 118.9 rating in balls that targeted him. Peters did play better after recovering from an early-season calf injury, so there’s hope that, if healthy, he can get back to 2017 form. He’ll need to for the Rams to be as good as fourth in the league.

There are two notes here that King didn’t include. One, that the Rams just took Michigan Wolverines CB David Long in the 2019 NFL Draft which gives Defensive Coordinator Wade Phillips more talent at CB3 than he had last season. And two, both Peters and Talib are in contract seasons and are scheduled to become unrestricted free agents next March.

It’s with that in mind that we can fast-forward through White’s mock directly to the Rams at 29:

#29.) Los Angeles Rams: LSU Tigers CB Kristian Fulton

Even if the Rams agree to a deal with impending free agent Marcus Peters, Aqib Talib’s contract is up after 2019 as well, and at his age the team could eye the first round of the 2020 draft to find a young corner like Fulton.

Fulton’s an interesting prospect that requires a lot of projection to get into the first round at this point. I’m not saying it can’t happen, but he didn’t see the field until last season. And that’s not entirely a condemnation on Fulton as LSU has long been a bastion of talented corners. So to be unable to get in front of Tre’Davious White, now with the Buffalo Bills, or Kevin Toliver II, now with the Chicago Bears, or Greedy Williams, who was just drafted by the Cleveland Browns, isn’t an indictment by any means. It just means we haven’t seen a ton of Fultonin his three seasons in Baton Rouge. So perhaps he puts out a really good season that pushes him into the first. As of now though, there’s a lot of TBD built in here.

Now to go back through the mock for a couple of notes.

It’s another 2020 mock with Alabama Crimson Tide QB Tua Tagovailoa at #1. I get the conventional wisdom, but there are plenty of other QBs that could go here. It does make me feel even worse for Josh Rosen that it’s the Miami Dolphins. Kinda wondering if he’s just gonna bounce around the NFL every season to a new team only for them to get the #1 overall pick the next year and take another quarterback. White has four quarterbacks in his first round (Tagovailoa, Oregon Ducks QB Justin Herbert, Georgia Bulldogs QB Jake Fromm and Washington Huskies QB Jacob Eason), so you could plug some other options in at #1.

Another position with four first-rounders? Wide receivers. I made this point during the draft, but man does this mock bring it home. You did not want to have a roster gap at wideout this year. The 2019 wide receiver class? Nah. The 2020 wide receiver class? Oh hell yes. White has Alabama WR Jerry Jeudy as his first off, but Colorado Buffaloes WR Laviska Shenault, Jr., Oklahoma Sooners WR CeeDee Lamb and Clemson Tigers WR Tee Higgins all make the top 18. And you could argue Higgins, specifically, should be taken earlier. Lamb on talent too also feels low, but he’s soooooooo skinny. Love his game though.

If my 2019 dream pick for the Rams in LSU ILB Devin White only failed because White and the Rams were both too good for each other, it’s likely to happen again in 2020 when we miss out on LSU S Grant Delpit. White (R.J. the mocker, not Devin the backer) has Delpit going ninth.

Lord knows I love me some Wisconsin offensive linemen. It’s going to be reaaaaaaaal hard to talk me out of C Tyler Biadasz in a year if whoever the Rams plug there this year doesn’t ball out.

One position that doesn’t line up with the quality of quarterbacks or wide receivers right now? Edge rushers. The 2020 outside rushing class doesn’t look very strong right now. That’s a bit of a misfortune for the Rams who could well be in play for edge talent early on next year. White’s got five of them in his first round, but outside of Ohio State Buckeyes DE Chase Young who goes at #3 here I’m not sure I’m as high on any of them as White mocks them.

Just a little mockery to file away as we head toward the 2019 college football season to begin populating our 2020 boards.