Finally on the board, Rams start Round 2 with versatile offensive lineman
For the seventh straight year, the Los Angeles Rams entered the 2023 NFL Draft without a first-round pick. They haven’t made a first-round selection since Jared Goff in 2016.
This year, they first picked at 36th and took TCU guard Steve Avila.
Was it a good move? Honestly, adding any healthy player to the Rams roster has to be considered a win, especially along the offensive line. The unit set an NFL record for injuries in 2022. Four of five starters missed at least four games last year, and three were out for more than half the season.
Pro Football Focus ranked the 6-foot-3, 332-pound center/guard as the draft’s third-best interior offensive lineman and the 42nd-best prospect overall. ESPN’s Mel Kiper rated Avila as the second-best guard in the draft, and his overall combine score was the best of all guards. Former Rams tackle and future Hall of Famer Andrew Whitworth seemed to like the pick as well.
Avila grew up 30 minutes away from the TCU campus and was a big reason for the Horned Frogs' success in 2022. He allowed just 11 pressures on 540 pass-blocking snaps last season without allowing a single sack in 515 pass-blocking snaps.
He started 35 career games at TCU and played four different positions (17 at center, 15 at LG, two at RT and one at RG). His versatility will be an asset to the team in 2023, especially if the injury bug returns.
Matthew Stafford should pick up Avila from the airport and then buy him dinner. The 35-year-old quarterback isn't getting any younger, and his injury history may finally be catching up to him. Stafford missed eight games in 2022 and finished the season on injured reserve with head and neck injuries. For that reason alone, Avila was a good pick.
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