2025 NFL Draft: Who Does Expert Give Rams In Latest Mock?

In his first mock draft of the year, NFL.com analyst and former player Bucky Brooks gave his take on who each team will select with their first-round pick. Brooks believes the Rams will pick up Josh Simmons, the outstanding left tackle out of Ohio State who had his season cut short due to injury.
Regarding the selection, Brooks wrote "If Matthew Stafford and the Rams move forward together, continuing to build a fortress around the veteran quarterback has to be a top priority."
While the pick does check a box for the Rams, it may not be the best pick for the team and definitely not the right pick at 26. It makes sense why Brooks selected Simmons but if the Rams were to take a tackle with their first pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, the team may trade back first to acquire more picks as they are without a second-round selection, using the pick in a package that led to the Rams selecting Braden Fiske in last year's NFL draft.
Now it would be a lot for Brooks to create the trade scenario in this situation but considering the current state of the team, Simmons only makes sense at 26 if the Rams allow Alaric Jackson to walk.
Simmons is a phenomenal player who has the film to back up his first-round projection. However Simmons current unknowns remain a massive concern.
The Rams need a player that could step in right away and dominate. They do not have the luxury of slowly developing a tackle with that high of a pick because that would mean Jackson is gone and the team doesn't have anyone else to play the position unless they believe Warren McClendon Jr can hold down the fort in 2025.
Simmons suffered a knee injury against Oregon in October and the only real update known about it is that Simmons will be ready for camp. Until a full medical workup is done, I'm holding off on Simmons, and considering the height and weight that he plays at, it is incredibly concerning in the long term that Simmons' knee may become a lingering issue. Until there's more info, Simmons is not the right man for the job.
However if the Rams do select him, it's not like they've had bad luck with Ohio State first-round offensive linemen or Big Ten tackles in the past.
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