Rams draft results: L.A. selects EDGE Ochaun Mathis with 189th overall pick

A transfer to Nebraska in 2022, Mathis will compete to play next to Aaron Donald next season

By Kenneth Arthur@KennethArthuRS Apr 29, 2023, 3:14pm CDT

With the 189th overall pick in the 2023 the NFL draft, the Los Angeles Rams have selected edge Ochaun Mathis out of Nebraska. Mathis is the third edge player selected by Les Snead in the 2023 NFL Draft, joining Byron Young in the third round and Nick Hampton in the fifth.

Obviously all three could fill slightly different roles and all would have great opportunities to make a roster that is in desperate need of people who can eat snaps up next season for a defense that is almost completely changed from 2022.

Here is what NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein wrote of Mathis for his bio:

Mathis’ 2020 season put him on the map as an edge defender to look out for in the future, but he’s failed to hit those production markers since then. He has good size and outstanding length but needs more time in the weight room. He struggles against downhill running attacks but is a slippery tackler who can cast a wide net near his gaps. Mathis’ pressure and sack counts aren’t as high as they should be with his athletic ability and traits. If a team can get him to become a more skilled and attack-oriented rusher, it might find a prospect who outplays his draft slotting as a 3-4 rush linebacker.

Overall, Mathis is the fifth defensive prospect selected by the Rams in 2023. The Rams still have four picks to make in the seventh round, as Snead has traded five times already.