Los Angeles Rams full 2018 NFL mock draft
By John Buhler
Third Round
While adding Andrew Whitworth in free agency last spring was easily one of the best transactions of the year, Whitworth isn’t a kid anymore. He spent a ton of years not winning playoff games with the Cincinnati Bengals. The trend continued in his first year with the Rams. Look for the Rams to add a tackle with their third round pick in the form of Brian O’Neill out of Pittsburgh.
O’Neill has a huge frame at 6-foot-7, 297 pounds. He has 34 1/8 inch arms and 9 3/8 inch hands. O’Neill ran a 4.82 40-yard dash at the 2018 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. He put up 22 reps at 225 on the bench press.
At this time, using a high draft pick on an offensive lineman is a tricky proposition in the NFL. Teams are clearly willing to spend big on guys that have sharpened their tools for another team before jumping aboard in free agency. However, O’Neill looks to be a solid offensive line prospect with starting potential here int he third round at No. 87.
Pittsburgh has run a pro-style offense, most notably with former offensive coordinator Jim Chaney when he was Pat Narduzzi’s offensive coordinator in 2015. If O’Neill is solid in both run blocking and pass protection, he could be huge in the story of Jared Goff and Todd Gurley’s NFL careers.