The NFL draft begins April 28 and the Los Angeles Rams hold five picks. For the next week and a half, we will take a look at a different position every day with what the Rams have in place, what they need and when they might address it.
We continue the countdown with a look at this year's crop of defensive linemen.
In place: Robert Quinn, William Hayes, Eugene Sims, Quinton Coples, Matt Longacre, Aaron Donald, Michael Brockers, Ethan Westbrooks, Doug Worthington, Louis Trinca-Pasat.
What's needed: The Rams chose to release defensive end Chris Long, but were able to retain Hayes and Sims and sign Coples, thus decreasing any obvious need they might have had at end. At tackle, primary backup Nick Fairley departed for the New Orleans Saints and the Rams did not bring in any new bodies there, which increases the need for depth behind Brockers and Donald. Overall, this is still a pretty strong unit that should be the best positional group on the team once again in 2016.
Getting Quinn to full strength after season-ending back surgery will be imperative, but if he can return to form, he and Donald still form one of the league's best pass-rushing duos. Brockers is a solid run-stuffer doing the dirty work in the middle and Hayes will get a chance to show what he can do as a starter for a full season. Sims still provides good depth and Coples is an intriguing addition that the Rams hope can reach his potential now playing end in a 4-3 defense. Longacre got some opportunities as a rookie in 2015 and also showed promise, which means the Rams should be mostly set on the edges. Meanwhile, on the inside, the Rams have their starters in Donald and Brockers and were able to move Westbrooks inside with the addition of Coples and retention of Hayes and Sims. Like Longacre, Trinca-Pasat is a promising young player, but neither he nor Westbrooks is proven on the interior, which means there is a need to find someone who could also jump into the rotation.
Verdict: Just like every position that isn't quarterback, the Rams don't have the draft capital to land a difference-maker here. Even if they draft a defensive tackle with one of their two fourth-round or two sixth-round picks, the Rams won't be getting a player more proven or even necessarily better than guys like Trinca-Pasat and Westbrooks. The good news is this is one of the deepest defensive line drafts in years, especially on the inside. The Rams don't need to draft an end and probably won't, but Hayes and Sims are getting older and it wouldn't hurt to begin planning for the future if a pass-rusher too good to pass on falls in their lap. If the Rams pass on the defensive line completely in this draft, expect them to bring in multiple bodies in undrafted free agency. It's worked in the past with guys like Westbrooks, Longacre and Trinca-Pasat, and could again this year.