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LA gets much needed safety help in Kamren Kinchens with their second of two third round picks
The Los Angeles Rams selected Miami safety Kamren Kinchens with their second of two choices in the third round and selection 99 overall.
LA received this pick via the league’s compensatory draft policy for minority head coaching and general manager candidates when Raheem Morris was hired by the Atlanta Falcons. Kinchens is the Rams’ third choice on Friday following Florida State DT Braden Fiske and Michigan RB Blake Corum.
LA saw multi-year starter Jordan Fuller sign with the Carolina Panthers this offseason and John Johnson is still a free agent. The Rams were able to draw veteran Kamren Curl from the Washington Commanders, but they could use bodies in the secondary.
At 5-11, 203 lbs., Kinchens is a versatile safety who has the ability to play deep in coverage and close to the line of scrimmage. One of his trademarks as a prospect is his excellent ball skills, evidenced by 11 interceptions over the last two seasons. Bleacher Report compared Kinchens to Darnell Savage, who was a first round pick by the Green Bay Packers and then signed a sizeable free agent deal this offseason with the Jacksonville Jaguars. The safety will likely compete with Russ Yeast for a starting role next to Curl, though it’s possible that third-year safety Quentin Lake could spend more time at safety after playing most of 2023 at slot corner.
The blemishes on Kinchens’ profile is that he tends to take poor angles in coverage and when tracking down ball carriers, and this is unfortunately compounded by a limited athletic profile. We’ve seen the Rams gain comfort with prospects who had poor performances as the NFL scouting combine through GPS and player tracking mechanisms, so it’s possible they know something the public doesn’t in this case.
What are your thoughts on the pick?
