The 2023 NFL draft is rapidly approaching and the Los Angeles Rams are tasked with bolstering multiple positions on their roster. With the losses of Leonard Floyd and Jalen Ramsey this offseason, the Rams’ biggest needs on defense reside at the edge rusher and cornerback positions.
The Rams also watched Taylor Rapp and Nick Scott depart for new teams in free agency, making the safety position a potential target in this year’s draft. Outside of Jordan Fuller, the other safeties on the current roster have a total of 2 career starts.
In the later rounds of the draft, Gervarrius Owens out of Houston is a safety the Rams could look to target.
Background
Owens played all four years of his collegiate career at Houston, spending time at the cornerback and safety positions. In his final two seasons, Owens accumulated 126 tackles, 11 pass breakups, three interceptions, two forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery.
Upon being invited to the NFL scouting combine, Owens didn’t participate in any agility drills. He would then proceed to run a 4.57 40-yard dash and a 1.54 10-yard split at Houston’s pro day.
How he fits the Rams
Owens has plenty of experience as he was a four-year starter at Houston. Has played both cornerback and safety, so he provides some versatility for the team that takes him during the draft.
The Rams have preferred taking defensive backs with versatility in recent years, making Owens an intriguing late-round prospect. Owens needs to improve in a few areas of his game before there’s the potential for him to start in the NFL, but he can provide contributions on special teams immediately.
Draft projection
After a solid outing at his pro day, Owens did a formidable job improving his draft stock. The Houston safety is projected to be a late Day 3 pick in most mock drafts.
If the Rams intend to wait to select a safety, they currently have eight picks in the final three rounds of this year’s draft. Five of those picks are in rounds six and seven, which could make Owens a potential option for the Rams before the draft is over.
More prospect profiles
Here are the previous safety profiles that have been completed already:
