NFL Insider’s First Mock Draft Tips Off Los Angeles Rams Free Agency Plan

After a Divisional Round exit at the hands of the Philadelphia Eagles, the Los Angeles Rams now need to turn to the offseason and figure out how to make their roster stronger for the next season.

While the biggest questions that need to be answered involve both Matthew Stafford and Cooper Kupp, there is another glaring issue that will need to be addressed.

The Los Angeles Rams spent a ton of money on the offensive line last offseason. They re-signed Kevin Dotson to a lucrative deal and added Jonah Jackson from the Lions. The latter did not pan out last season, so that will need to be a starting point for what is to be done with Jackson.

If Les Snead does decide to pull the trigger and move on from Jackson after only one season, he will carry a dead-money hit of roughly $5.6 million for 2025 and 2026 with a pos-June 1 designation, per OverTheCap.com.

But this is a conversation for a different article.

In my opinion, the biggest question is what to do at left tackle. Alaric Jackson played well last season in that role, but he is entering free agency.

It is a fairly weak free agency class at the LT position, so just out of roster desperation, Jackson’s market could be very robust. The Los Angeles Rams will need to decide if he is worth $15-$20 million per year as his market will most likely suggest.

Daniel Jeremiah of NFL Network just released his first mock draft, and based on who he has the Rams selecting, it would indicate that LA will move on from Jackson and let him hit the open market.

Daniel Jeremiah Has Los Angeles Rams Drafting An Offensive Tackle

Los Angeles Rams Select Josh Conerly Jr. In Daniel Jeremiah's First Mock Draft
Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Rams currently hold the 26th pick in the first round. Will they stay here or trade it all together? Who knows, but for this first iteration, they stand pat.

Jeremiah has them selecting Oregon offensive tackle Josh Conerly Jr. His reasoning was very simple.

“The team poured resources into the defensive line in the last draft. They flip the script and take care of the offensive line in the first round this year.”

Also Read: List Of All 2025 Los Angeles Rams Free Agents

Conerly Jr. is the 3rd tackle off the board in this mock, so that would be pretty good value for the Rams at pick 26. Per PFF, Conerly Jr. received a 79.3 overall blocking grade for the 2024 season.

Jeremiah has LSU’s Will Campbell going 4th overall to the Patriots, and Texas’ Kelvin Banks Jr. going 13th to the Dolphins.

Now this early into the draft season, Jeremiah is simply matching players with team needs. We still have all of free agency to see what the Rams actually do and then what needs they still have come April.

But if this holds true, it would certainly indicate that the Rams will not re-sign Alaric Jackson, at least not for a contract like they gave Joe Noteboom a few years back. Perhaps they learned from that mistake and want to see if they can rebuild the offensive line similar to how they have built the defensive line the past two drafts.

It is certainly going to be a fascinating offseason.

How would you grade the Rams selecting an OT in the first round of the 2025 Draft?