Rams pick No. 36, iOL Steve Avila, gave up zero sacks in 2022.
In the run game? “He is in the business of moving people.”
More: https://t.co/27qzzPyeDG

— Jourdan Rodrigue (@JourdanRodrigue) April 29, 2023

The Rams made three picks on Friday night, all of which were along the offensive and defensive fronts. How did they do? https://t.co/vnrBNne6qz

— Rams Wire (@TheRamsWire) April 29, 2023

KOBIE TURNER | Wake Forest 6024 | 293 lbs. | 6SR Clifton, Va. (Centreville) 4/26/1999 (age 24.00) #0

BACKGROUND: Kobie Turner, who is one of four children, grew up in Clifton with two main passions: football and music. He started out with flag football and then pee-wee and youth-level football. Turner attended Centreville High School and played on the JV team as a freshman. He moved up to varsity as a sophomore, seeing snaps at tight end and middle linebacker as Centreville advanced to the 2014 state title game with a 12-3 record. Turner became a starter as a junior, primarily as a blocking tight end and linebacker. As a senior, he earned second team all-state and first team all-region as both a defensive end and tight end, accounting for 70 tackles and one forced fumble. Turner starting singing in choir in middle school and also learned how to play the guitar, piano and drums. He earned all-state honors in chorus as a senior in 2017. A no-star recruit out of high school, Turner wasn’t ranked by the online recruiting services and went overlooked by college programs. Instead of attending recruiting camps his junior year, he was more focused on his music. His high school teammate and cousin (Caleb Brooks) signed with Richmond in the 2017 class and Turner was introduced to the Spiders’ coaching staff, who extended an offer to walk on. He planned to give football one year to see what happened and ended up earning a scholarship less than a year on campus. Turner also sang baritone for Richmond’s music department Schola Cantorum choir. Looking to challenge himself against better competition, he earned his undergrad degree at Richmond and entered the transfer portal after the 2021 season. He considered offers from Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech before committing to Wake Forest. His older brother (AJ) was a running back and defensive back at South Carolina (2015-19). Turner accepted his invitation to the 2023 East-West Shrine Bowl.

YEAR (GP/GS) TKLS TFL SACK FF PD INT NOTES
2017: Redshirted Richmond
2018: (11/0) 5 2.5 1.5 0 0 0 Richmond
2019: (12/12) 71 14.5 7.0 1 0 0 Richmond; Third Team All-CAA; led team in TFL; Blocked XP
2020: (4/4) 19 6.0 3.5 1 0 0 Richmond; First team All-CAA; CAA Defensive POY; Team captain; Season played in 2021 spring
2021: (11/11) 54 10.5 4.0 2 0 0 Richmond; Second team All-American; First team All-CAA; 2 FR TDs
2022: (13/0) 38 10.0 2.0 3 2 0 Wake Forest; Third Team All-ACC; Led team in FFs
Total: (51/27) 187 43.5 18.0 7 2 0

HT WT ARM HAND WING 40-YD 20-YD 10-YD VJ BJ SS 3C BP
COMBINE N/A (not invited)
PRO DAY 6024 293 31 3/8 10 1/4 76 3/4 – – – – 8’0” 4.49 7.08 31

STRENGTHS: Plays with outstanding balance, flexibility and grip strength at contact … extends and punches off blocks while maintaining body control to slip through gaps … rips, tugs and uses whatever else he can find in his bag of tricks to break down the rhythm of blockers … impressive short-area quickness to operate in constricted spaces … small-framed for an interior player, but has good musculature throughout his body … efficient play recognition skills and doesn’t lose sight of the football … credited with four batted passes in 2022 … competes hard and plays with reckless abandon … his teammates and coaches rave about his work ethic and drive (on and off the field) … consistent backfield production since he entered the starting lineup.

WEAKNESSES: Owns a tweener frame with only average length … will have a tough time against long-armed blockers who get into his chest … his hands are heavy and hungry, but too inconsistent with their placement … inconsistent fundamentals taking on doubles … needs to stay square when working laterally and will occasionally sacrifice his positioning to make a play … needs to continue refining his pass rush repertoire and overall timing … wasn’t a starter in his one season at the FBS level (and registered only two sacks) … will be 24 on draft weekend.

SUMMARY: A reserve in his one season at Wake Forest, Turner lined up primarily over the B-gap in defensive coordinator Brad Lambert’s scheme. A former walk-on at Richmond, he was an FCS All-American before transferring to Wake Forest for his final season where he was part of the defensive line rotation (averaged 40.2 defensive snaps per game in 2022). Nicknamed “The Conductor” for his disruptive skills and burgeoning music career, Turner stays balanced through congestion and his gas tank is never on “E” (accounted for 41 tackles for loss over 40 games played the last four seasons). He plays much stronger than his listed weight, but might struggle against NFL length and power. Turner is a tad undersized and is guilty of freelancing out of his run fits, but he plays with bouncy feet, forceful hands and affects the game with his relentless effort. He projects as a rotational 3-technique in the NFL with potential to be more.

Kobie Turner DT selected, people predicted him in the 5th round, rams picked him up in the 3rd. pic.twitter.com/WoVuwbg4HP

— Rams Tapes (@RamsTapes) April 29, 2023

Here’s our analysis of Pick No. 36, TCU guard Steve Avila: pic.twitter.com/TIl4tWBSGH

— Jourdan Rodrigue (@JourdanRodrigue) April 28, 2023

At No. 77 overall, the Rams took Tennessee edge rusher Byron Young

Let's go! Love this pick https://t.co/vg9x0cBYSB

— Cameron DaSilva (@camdasilva) April 29, 2023

New Rams OLB Byron Young's story is a must-read. pic.twitter.com/6jApclUOeQ

— Jourdan Rodrigue (@JourdanRodrigue) April 29, 2023

.

𝗣𝗜𝗖𝗞 𝗜𝗦 𝗜𝗡: With pick 77 overall in the 2023 NFL Draft, the #Rams are selecting EDGE Byron Young. pic.twitter.com/P9GhhPP5iL

— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) April 29, 2023

Avila says he can play LG, RG, C and even RT if needed, as he started his college career on scout team there and played two games at the position. https://t.co/1203qmWgQe

— Jourdan Rodrigue (@JourdanRodrigue) April 29, 2023

STEVE AVILA | TCU 6034 | 332 lbs. | 5SR Arlington, Texas (South Grand Prairie) 10/16/1999 (age 23.53) #79

BACKGROUND: Esteban “Steve” Avila (AH-vee-la) grew up in Arlington and started playing football at the youth level. He enrolled at South Grand Prairie High School, where he was teammates with teammates with cornerback Jeff Okudah. Avila became the starting left tackle as a sophomore and was recognized as one of the top blockers in the district. He earned first team All-Conference as a junior while also playing at defensive end. Avila again earned All-Conference as a senior and led South Grand Prairie to the playoffs, where they ran into Allen, the eventual state champions. A three-star recruit, Avila was the No. 44 offensive guard in the 2018 recruiting class and the No. 151 recruit in Texas. After his junior season, he picked up offers from Kansas State, North Texas, TCU and Utah. But Avila credited the “family” atmosphere in Fort Worth as the reason he committed to former head coach Gary Patterson in March 2017. Avila was part of the same TCU recruiting class as Trevon Moehrig, Ar’Darius Washington, and his high school teammate Atanza Vongor. He graduated with his bachelor’s degree (May 2022). Avila accepted his invitation to the 2023 Senior Bowl.

YEAR (GP/GS) POSITION NOTES
2018: Redshirted
2019: (11/0)
2020: (9/9) 6 OC, 2 RT, 1 RG Honorable Mention All-Big 12
2021: (12/11) OC Second Team All-Big 12
2022: (15/15) LG Consensus All-American; First Team All-Big 12
Total: (47/35) 17 OC, 15 LG, 2 RT, 1 RG

HT WT ARM HAND WING 40-YD 20-YD 10-YD VJ BJ SS 3C BP
COMBINE 6034 332 33 9 1/4 78 5.21 2.97 1.79 29 1/2 8’2” 4.74 7.85 28
PRO DAY 6033 332 33 3/4 9 79 7/8 – – – – – – – – (position drills only – choice)

STRENGTHS: Big-bodied blocker and engulfs rushers at the point of attack … doesn’t allow his base to narrow and pulls rushers into his tractor beam … shows off his brick hands to create knockback when his punch connects … uses his body quicks to mirror and ride pass rushers away from the play (zero holding penalties in 2022) … showed improvements with his ability to reset or make adjustments mid-engagement … has the processing to identify delayed blitzes or stone stunts … shows power in his hands to latch and move bodies in the run game … mobile enough to seal backside pulls and execute short pulls … always looking for work and plays with attitude … started at least one game at four different offensive line positions over the last three seasons (every spot except left tackle) … most of his college snaps came at center, and he has legitimate position flexibility … didn’t give up a sack in 2022.

WEAKNESSES: Efficient in his setup but not explosive … has a tendency to forget his feet once engaged with his upper half … plays tall at times and needs to use better sink to access his leverage points … modest arm length and longer-armed defensive linemen will be able to access his chest … defenders feel his bruising hands, but he must improve his placement to better control the point of attack … his break-down ability as a puller and second-level blocker need improvement … flagged three times for false starts as a senior.

SUMMARY: A three-year starter at TCU, Avila started all 15 games at left guard as a senior in former offensive coordinator Garrett Riley’s RPO-based offense. A left tackle in high school, he played every offensive line position except left tackle at TCU, moving from center to left guard in 2022 and leading the team in snaps (1,020). He was an unsung hero on an offense that reached the National Championship Game. A wide-based and powerful blocker, Avila collects a body count with his heavy hands to make early contact in pass pro or drive block in the run game. Though he stays controlled in his initial mirror, his countering footwork and handwork will be the keys to his next-level success. Overall, Avila needs to better understand his biomechanics to access his explosive power, but he plays with a strong base to anchor and control at either guard or center. He fits both zone and gap schemes and should be an immediate starter as an NFL rookie.

GRADE: 2nd Round (No. 40 overall)

There are a lot of ways Day 2 can play out for the Rams tomorrow night.

6 mock drafts, 6 different approaches to Rounds 2 and 3 https://t.co/ac88RzldUN

— Cameron DaSilva (@camdasilva) April 27, 2023