The Los Angeles Rams have positioned themselves nearly perfectly ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft. They have high hopes for their offense with the addition of Davante Adams and the re-signing of Alaric Jackson. Their young defensive front has become the envy of teams league-wide, especially with the addition of run-stuffing veteran Poona Ford. This allows them to focus on the future with and there are only small gaps left to patch over for this season.
Los Angeles Rams’ Biggest Draft Need: Should They Go 1st Round LB?
The biggest patch and future need, as every Rams fan and ESPN’s Ben Solak will point out, is at linebacker. Omar Speights, who entered the league as an undrafted free agent, secured a starting linebacker position through his performance. However, his fellow linebacker, Troy Reeder, missed a significant portion of the previous season due to a hamstring injury and was recently re-signed to a one-year contract. They also brought in an intriguing yet green former UDFA, Nate Landman, from the Atlanta Falcons.
Solak doesn’t beat around the bush on what he thinks the Rams should do with the 26th overall pick in the NFL Draft
“At No. 26, the Rams might be the team that stops Jihaad Campbell’s (Alabama) slide, as the consensus LB1 could fall a bit after shoulder surgery last month. And if not Campbell, I could see Carson Schwesinger (UCLA) as the target of a trade-back out of Round 1. With no second-round pick and no fifth-round pick, the Rams have one of the lightest war chests this year (yes, even with their extra third-rounder).”
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Jihaad Campbell Scouting Report
HT6′3″ | WT235 | AGE21.16 | Draft Grade: Consensus #1 LB – 1st Round
Campbell possesses an impressive combination of size and length, complemented by sideline-to-sideline speed, lateral agility, and short-area burst, enabling him to gain leverage and effectively tackle ball carriers. However, he occasionally exhibits hesitation in trusting his reads and demonstrates inconsistency in taking on blocks. These factors contributed to his greater effectiveness when operating outside the tackles on film, where he was less encumbered by the physical and mental complexities of navigating congested areas. Overall, Campbell is an explosive and physical athlete with developing instincts that allow him to influence the game as a run defender, in coverage, and as a blitzer from multiple angles and depths. While he possesses first-round talent, his final evaluation will depend significantly on medical assessments.
| year | school | gp | gs | tkls | tfl | sack | ff | pd | int |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Alabama | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | Alabama | 13 | 8 | 66 | 4.0 | 0.5 | 0 | 4 | 1 |
| 2024 | Alabama | 13 | 13 | 117 | 11.5 | 5.0 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| Total | 35 | 21 | 184 | 15.5 | 5.5 | 2 | 7 | 2 |
Carson Schwesinger Scouting Report:
HT 6′3″ | WT 242 | AGE 22.16 | Draft Grade: 2nd Round
Schwesinger consistently demonstrates a relentless pursuit of the ball, exhibiting exceptional speed in his key-and-react processing. He displays an innate ability to anticipate and navigate around blockers, consistently arriving at the ball with urgency and maintaining his trajectory through congested areas. While his hand technique could benefit from increased shock and leverage when engaging with blockers, he has demonstrated a high degree of success as a tackler, recording double-digit tackles in nine of his ten career starts.
Overall, Schwesinger is a highly commendable player, characterized by his exceptional pursuit speed, reliable tackling, and unwavering, full-speed approach to every play. He possesses the instincts, demeanor, and coverage skills to become a four-down NFL starter early in his professional career.
| year | school | gp | gs | tkls | tfl | sack | ff | pd | int |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | UCLA | 13 | 0 | 15 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | UCLA | 13 | 0 | 12 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | UCLA | 12 | 10 | 136 | 8.5 | 4.0 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| Total | 38 | 10 | 163 | 11.0 | 5.0 | 1 | 3 | 2 |