Is guard a position of need for the Rams?
The L.A. interior is thinner that it seems
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets offensive lineman Keylan Rutledge (77) is a possible Round 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft (Photo by Peter Joneleit/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images At first glance, guard is not a pressing need for the Los Angeles Rams, both Kevin Dotson and Steve Avila return for 2026, but looking deeper, maybe it’s not such a reach. Both Avila and Dotson are free agents after the season. Avila has missed nine games and parts of two others over the past two seasons, while last year, Dotson was out two games and missed parts of five others.
The backups of note, Justin Dedich and Beaux Limmer have seen a decent amount of field time, but their play could be described as sketchy. Before dismissing the idea of taking a guard early in the draft, here’s look at prospects with draftable grades off my Top 300 Big Board. Round 1 Olaivavega Ioane – Penn State 6’5” 320 lb.
Dense, thick frame built to play downhill in a between the tackles run game. When getting behind his lowered pads he road grades, needs to work on consistent knee and hip drops, not bending over. Stellar pass blocker, his length is adequate, but huge strong hands clamp on and lock down.
Wide base sets a strong anchor. Olaivavega Ioane is a true plug-and-play starter with perennial Pro Bowl potential pic. twitter.
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