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Which Senior Bowl and Shrine Bowl prospects could the Rams target
The Los Angeles Rams have shown a history of drafting players who participated in both the Shine Bowl and Senior Bowl. Last season, much of their draft class performed in either games, including Braden Fiske and Kam Kinchens. In my first mock draft of the season, each selection will feature a player who performed in the Senior Bowl or East-West Shrine Bowl.
*This is a BOWL SEASON mock draft. All players included in this mock draft will have participated in the Senior Bowl or Shrine Bowl.
Even if the Rams bring back Alaric Jackson, it’s difficult to rule out selecting an offensive lineman early. Rob Havenstein will be on the final year of his contract in 2025. The Rams are also unlikely to bring back Joe Noteboom. Savaiinaea could come in and immediately be that sixth man on the offensive line and give them a future at right tackle post-Havenstein. Havenstein has also struggled to stay healthy in recent years as he gets older. Savaiinaea fits the Rams’ profile of offensive lineman and gives them immediate quality depth with starting upside.
A case could be made for cornerback Azareye’h Thomas from Florida State in this spot. That’s the direction that ESPN’s Matt Miller went for the Rams at 26. The 26th overall selection feels high for both Savaiinaea and Thomas. Josh Conerly Jr. is better value which is what Lance Zierlein from NFL Media did. However, I have questions about the fit. The best case scenario at 26 would be a trade down. There’s not a huge difference between picks 20-60 in the 2025 NFL Draft. If the Rams can find a trade partner, moving back and getting more day two or early day three selections makes sense. However, the Rams haven’t moved back from their first selection since 2019.
There are several wide receivers from the Senior Bowl who would be great fits for the Rams. Jack Bech, Tez Johnson, Xavier Restrepo are just a few that fit their typical profile. However, Jayden Higgins is not only a good fit, but is exactly what the Rams offense needs. During the three practices, Higgins had the fourth-most explosive efforts which are the number of “high” accelerations and “high” decelerations a player achieves via Zebra Sports. At 6’4, he’s a crisp route-runner and takes pride in his ability to box-out defenders and win the contested catch.
Higgins is alignment versatile and can line up at any of the three wide receiver positions. He’s not the run-blocker that Bech is, but he can still make a positive impact in that area and is willing. Higgins also has a connection to Nate Scheelhaase who is on the Rams offensive coaching staff. If the Rams can swap Demarcus Robinson for Higgins, it would put the offense in a good spot.
