It’s no secret—after Aaron Donald’s offseason retirement the Los Angeles Rams must find pass rushers that can affect opposing quarterbacks during the 2024 season. The Rams have commonly been linked to both edge defenders and pass rushing defensive tackles for their first pick in the NFL Draft at #19 overall, though this statistic suggests a schematic fit for one player in particular.

According to Steve Palazolo of Pro Football Focus (PFF). the Rams asked edge defenders to drop into coverage 355 times last season under defensive coordinator Raheem Morris. Morris has since been hired as the new head coach of the Atlanta Falcons; however, we should expect a lot of similarities with Chris Shula being promoted internally to serve as the coordinator. Shula is an inaugural member of Sean McVay’s Rams coaching staff and joined the team in 2017.

The first round edge prospect who has the most experience in coverage would be Alabama’s Dallas Turner, who did so 238 times in college per Palazzolo:

While Turner seems to be the consensus top prospect at edge, Laiatu Latu has been the player most often connected to LA’s pick at #19. Florida State’s Jared Verse should also be in the conversation, as well as Chop Robinson who projects more as a rotational pass rush specialist.

The Turner vs. Latu conversation reminds me much of the 2022 debate between Travon Walker and Aidan Hutchinson. In the end, Walker was picked first overall by the Jacksonville Jaguars as an one of the best athletes we’ve ever seen at edge. Meanwhile, Hutchinson was the more productive college player but had a perceived lower NFL ceiling. In this analogy, Turner is Walker (though Turner was more productive at Alabama than Walker was at Georgia) and Latu is Hutchinson.

The Atlanta Falcons at #8 overall is Turner’s most popularly mocked destination, though I’d argue Latu is the top defensive player in this year’s draft. The statistic shared by Palazzolo indicates that Turner may be a better schematic fit in the Rams’ defense and he could replace (and be an upgrade over) Michael Hoecht’s pass coverage reps.

Could Morris grab Turner early in the draft before the Rams have a chance to select the promising outside linebacker?