Los Angeles Rams: Way too early 2018 NFL mock draft
By Jason Reed
One of the biggest needs for the Los Angeles Rams entering the season was their secondary. The team franchised tagged their best corner, Trumaine Johnson, and traded away cornerback E.J. Gaines for Sammy Watkins. Los Angeles was obviously going all-in on the offense and left them with a questionable secondary as a result.
However, defensive coordinator Wade Phillips was able to make the most of his secondary and utilize his pass rush to make the Rams’ secondary better. Johnson, as he was before, was the Rams’ best corner.
However, Johnson is set to be a free agent this year. The Rams could franchise tag him, but they may reserve that for defensive tackle Aaron Donald. Regardless, even with Johnson, the Rams could use all the help they can get at corner.
Enter Denzel Ward, a junior cornerback coming out of Ohio State. Ward was the best corner for Ohio State and utilized his athleticism to stick to opposing receivers. Ward had two interceptions and 15 pass deflections in 11 games last season.
TJ Randall of TheDraftster.com compared Ward to Jason Verrett, the Los Angeles Chargers cornerback who has been great — when healthy. If Ward can be that for the Rams, then they found a great first round pick.