Los Angeles Rams 7-Round Mock Draft and Top-100 Big Board

The 2016 NFL draft will be the very first draft for the new Los Angeles Rams, so it's sure to be a historic event for the franchise. The team will attempt to make a splash and create an exciting product for its new fanbase. 

In fact, the Rams aren't waiting for draft day to make that splash. They've already turned mock drafts upside down by acquiring the No. 1 overall draft pick. 

According to Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com, the Rams will receive Tennessee's first (No. 1 overall), fourth (113) and sixth-round (177) selections in 2016, but the price is hefty. The Rams give up their first-round pick (No. 15 overall), both second-round picks (43 and 45) and third-round pick (76). Additionally, Tennessee will receive the Rams' first and third-round picks in 2017. 

It's a rare megadeal that will either make or break the franchise for the next five years. However, coach Jeff Fisher and general manager Les Snead have yet to produce a winning season in their four years with the team. They're both at the end of the line, so it's likely they're far more concerned with the 2016 season as opposed to long-term consequences. This is their Hail Mary pass. 

With so much at stake, the Rams must hit on their picks. Failing to find a star at No. 1 overall, along with some solid role players late in the draft, will cripple the franchise. 

This article will mock Los Angeles' draft and predict the picks that could finally turn the Rams into a contender. 

Additionally, we'll review the top-100 players that could be on the Rams' big board. 

Top-100 Big Board

Jeff Roberson/Associated Press

Like all teams, the Rams will construct a big board—a ranking of their top draft targets—and use it to guide them throughout the draft. 

Some teams use the draft board as a strict blueprint for each pick—they'll take the top-rated player on the board regardless of position or the current emotions in the war room. Other teams use it as a rough guide. The Rams tend to agree with the former train of thought, but they do stray from that mindset from time to time. 

For example, it's unlikely that any NFL team has either of the top quarterbacks rated as the draft's No. 1 prospect. However, the Rams have obviously placed one of the passers at the top of their list based purely on need. The Rams don't necessarily believe that he's the top player of the draft, but they're willing to make that exception. 

With that in mind, here's a rough look at what the Rams' big board might look like: 

Los Angeles Rams Big Board

Rank	Player	Position	School
1	Carson Wentz	QB	North Dakota St.
2	Laremy Tunsil	T	Ole Miss
3	Jared Goff	QB	California
4	Jalen Ramsey	CB	Florida St.
5	Myles Jack	OLB	UCLA
6	DeForest Buckner	DE	Oregon
7	Joey Bosa	DE	Ohio St.
8	Vernon Hargreaves	CB	Florida
9	Jaylon Smith	OLB	Notre Dame
10	Reggie Ragland	LB	Alabama
11	Shaq Lawson	DE	Clemson
12	Ronnie Stanley	T	Notre Dame
13	Ezekiel Elliott	RB	Ohio St.
14	A'Shawn Robinson	DT	Alabama
15	Laquon Treadwell	WR	Ole Miss
16	Sheldon Rankins	DT	Louisville
17	Leonard Floyd	OLB	Georgia
18	Jarran Reed	DT	Alabama
19	Cody Whitehair	G	Kansas St.
20	Hunter Henry	TE	Arkansas
21	Mackensie Alexander	CB	Clemson
22	Robert Nkemdiche	DT	Ole Miss
23	Jack Conklin	T	Michigan St.
24	Tyler Boyd	WR	Pittsburgh
25	Noah Spence	OLB	Eastern Kentucky
26	Kevin Dodd	DE	Clemson
27	Kyler Fackrell	OLB	Utah
28	Emmanuel Ogbah	DE	Oklahoma St.
29	Derrick Henry	RB	Alabama
30	Vernon Butler	DT	Louisiana Tech
31	Jonathan Bullard	DT	Florida
32	Josh Doctson	WR	TCU
33	Paxton Lynch	QB	Memphis
34	Connor Cook	QB	Michigan St.
35	Corey Coleman	WR	Baylor
36	Joshua Garnett	G	Stanford
37	Scooby Wright	OLB	Arizona
38	Le'Raven Clark	T	Texas Tech
39	Devontae Booker	RB	Utah
40	Kamalei Correa	OLB	Boise State
41	Austin Johnson	DT	Penn State
42	Kenny Clark	DT	UCLA
43	Kentrell Brothers	LB	Missouri
44	Will Fuller	WR	Notre Dame
45	Jordan Jenkins	OLB	Georgia
46	Taylor Decker	T	Ohio State
47	Kendall Fuller	CB	Virginia Tech
48	Michael Thomas	WR	Ohio State
49	Germain Ifedi	T	Texas A&M
50	Pharoh Cooper	WR	South Carolina
51	Jeremy Cash	S	Duke
52	Jordan Howard	RB	Indiana
53	Shon Coleman	T	Auburn
54	Sterling Shepard	WR	Oklahoma
55	Darron Lee	OLB	Ohio State
56	Christian Westerman	G	Arizona State
57	Miles Killebrew	S	Southern Utah
58	Nick Vannett	TE	Ohio State
59	Su'a Cravens	OLB	USC
60	Rees Odhiambo	T	Boise State
61	Eli Apple	CB	Ohio State
62	Chris Jones	DT	Mississippi State
63	Shilique Calhoun	DE	Michigan State
64	Ryan Kelly	C	Alabama
65	Austin Hooper	TE	Stanford
66	Christian Hackenberg	QB	Penn State
67	Kenneth Dixon	RB	Louisiana Tech
68	Harlan Miller	CB	SE Louisiana
69	Jonathan Williams	RB	Arkansas
70	Yannik Ngakoue	DE	Maryland
71	William Jackson	CB	Houston
72	Max Tuerk	C	USC
73	Landon Turner	G	North Carolina
74	Graham Glasgow	C	Michigan
75	Adolphus Washington	DT	Ohio State
76	Hunter Sharp	WR	Utah State
77	Artie Burns	CB	Miami
78	Jerald Hawkins	T	LSU
79	Carl Nassib	DE	Penn State
80	Austin Blythe	C	Iowa
81	Juston Burris	CB	NC State
82	Evan Boehm	C	Missouri
83	Eric Murray	CB	Minnesota
84	Shawn Oakman	DE	Baylor
85	Sheldon Day	DT	Notre Dame
86	James Cowser	DE	Southern Utah
87	C.J. Prosise	RB	Notre Dame
88	Vonn Bell	S	Ohio State
89	Deion Jones	OLB	LSU
90	Jason Spriggs	T	Indiana
91	Matthew Ioannidis	DT	Temple
92	Justin Simmons	S	Boston College
93	Xavien Howard	CB	Baylor
94	Karl Joseph	S	West Virginia
95	Nick Martin	C	Notre Dame
96	Devon Cajuste	WR	Stanford
97	Maliek Collins	DT	Nebraska
98	Connor McGovern	T	Missouri
99	Jack Allen	C	Michigan State
100	Tajae Sharpe	WR	UMass

Round 1

Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Round 1, Pick 1: Carson Wentz, Quarterback, North Dakota State

The Rams traded the farm to acquire the top overall selection. Due to the amount of picks Los Angeles sacrificed, it's clear the Rams covet a certain quarterback. No sane team would jeopardize its future for a top-tier tackle or cornerback, so it's pretty obvious which direction they're going here. 

Adam Schefter of ESPN reported, via Twitter, that Los Angeles currently favors California’s Jared Goff, and it wouldn’t be a bad idea to make a local Californian the new face of the franchise. It's too close to call, but North Dakota State’s Carson Wentz has plenty of advantages and could possess the most overall upside. 

On paper, Wentz is a terrific prospect. At 6’5” and 237 pounds, he has the ideal size and looks the part of a true pro passer. He has a cannon arm, pin-point accuracy on deep balls and has the speed to scramble when necessary. Wentz also ran a pro-style offense at North Dakota State, which is the primary reason Jon Gruden called him the “most NFL-ready quarterback” he’s seen in a couple of years, per NBC Sports.

Wentz does possess some weaknesses. At North Dakota State, he faced very watered-down competition. The jump to the NFL stage may be too overwhelming for him. Additionally, Wentz has some health concerns. He missed parts of last season with a broken wrist, and his baseball career was plagued with shoulder and arm injuries, per NFL.com.

There’s no Andrew Luck-caliber prospect in this year’s draft, so the Rams will be taking a major gamble by betting the future on Wentz or Goff. However, when a franchise has been lacking an answer at quarterback for a decade, sometimes there's no choice but to take the risk. 

Round 4

Joe Robbins/Getty Images

Round 4, Pick 110: Jerell Adams, Tight End, South Carolina

The Rams gave up a lot to draft a potential franchise quarterback with the top pick. As a result, the team’s second draft pick won’t come until the fourth round. That’s far too late in the draft to secure a much-needed No. 1 wide receiver, but it might be a good spot to snag a pass-catching tight end.

Los Angeles cut ties with veteran tight end Jared Cook this offseason. Cook was the team’s leading receiver in 2013 and the second-leading receiver during the 2014 and 2015 seasons. Cook is a former South Carolina Gamecock, so it’d be appropriate to replace him with another ex-Gamecock—South Carolina tight end Jerell Adams.

Adams has a massive frame, measuring in at 6’5” and 247 pounds, per NFL.com. At that size, he still managed to fly through the 40-yard dash in 4.64 seconds. Adams is coming off a productive 2015 campaign for South Carolina. He ended the year with 28 catches, 421 yards and three scores.

Adams doesn’t possess Cook’s freakish athletic skills. Even so, his size and physicality will be an asset in the red zone. If the Rams grab Wentz at No. 1 overall, they must use this pick to find him a new target.

Round 4, Pick 113: Artie Burns, Cornerback, Miami

The Rams lost top cornerback Janoris Jenkins to free agency, and we still don't know if E.J. Gaines is 100 percent healthy. Los Angeles still has a group of promising young corners—Trumaine Johnson, Lamarcus Joyner, Marcus Roberson—to hold down the position, but it wouldn’t hurt to add one more corner as insurance.

This late in the draft, Miami’s Artie Burns may be the best option. At 6’0” and 193 pounds, he has the ideal size. He’s a former track star and a true athlete. He shined in the 40-yard dash, clocking in at a blazing 4.46 seconds. He was also a key playmaker in the Miami secondary last season. He ended the year with six interceptions and five passes defended.

Burns looks good on paper, but he comes with major question marks. He’s an unrefined player and needs proper coaching to perfect his technique. He was flagged far too often during his career at Miami, and that won’t be tolerated at the NFL level. 

Round 6

Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Round 6, Pick 177: Roberto Aguayo, K, Florida State

When the Rams drafted Greg Zuerlein in the sixth round of the 2012 draft, he entered the league bursting with potential. He was praised for his thunderous leg strength, unmatched by any kicker in the league, and even earned the nickname "Legatron" in his rookie season. 

Since then, Zuerlein's accuracy has become more and more of an issue. Zuerlein has missed three extra points in the last two seasons. In 2015, Zuerlein was just 10-for-17 on all outdoor field-goal attempts. Considering the Rams' new temporary home at the Coliseum is an outdoor venue, it might be time to find a replacement. 

According to Ian Rapoport, via Twitter, the Rams just re-signed Zuerlein to a modest one-year deal. That may suggest the Rams are willing to stick with Zuerlein a little longer, but the details of the contract are unknown. It's hard to say if the contract is a true commitment for 2016 or merely an invitation to training camp. Don't be surprised if the Rams find him some competition. 

If Los Angeles goes that route, it could do a lot worse than 2013 All-American Roberto Aguayo. 

Aguayo had some hiccups in 2015—he finished 21-of-26 on field goals—but he missed just four total field-goal attempts in his first two seasons, and three of those misses were from beyond 50 yards. Also, he didn't miss a single extra point in his collegiate career. 

Aguayo may not possess Zuerlein's booming leg strength, but it's a trade-off worth considering. The Rams are a defensive team with a struggling offense. Points are hard to come by for the Rams, so they need less flash and more reliability at the kicker position. 

If Aguayo is added to the roster, we'll certainly see less 60-yard attempts, but the accuracy from more doable distances will improve. 

It's hard to predict draft-day landing spots for kickers and punters. Aguayo could go as early as the fourth round if a kicker-needy team has picks to spare. If Aguayo doesn't make it to Round 6, Duke's Ross Martin is a nice alternative. 

Either way, the Rams need to provide Zuerlein with some real competition.

Round 6, Pick 190: Nick Kwiatkoski, ILB, West Virginia

The Rams are entering the post-James Laurinaitis era. Laurinaitis held down the middle linebacker position for seven productive seasons, but he was soft at the point of attack and struggled to destroy ball-carriers at the line of scrimmage. 

As a team that prides itself on a fierce defense, Los Angeles feels it can do better. 

The common belief is that Alec Ogletree will move inside, while safety-linebacker hybrid Mark Barron will replace Ogletree at outside linebacker. That adjustment will certainly upgrade the position, but the Rams could still use another body as depth. 

Nick Kwiatkoski suffers from some of the same softness we saw from Laurinaitis, but he has great instincts and technique as a tackler. He's excellent at wrapping up and finding his way behind the line of scrimmage. Kwiatkoski made 21.5 tackles for a loss in his last two seasons and ended his West Virginia career with six sacks—something the Rams surely love. 

Kwiatkoski may need lots of development, but he can serve as a promising backup and special teams player in Year 1. 

Steven Gerwel is the longest-tenured Rams Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report and serves as the Rams' 2016 draft-day correspondent. You can find more of Gerwel's work by visiting his writer profile or by following him on Twitter.