Von Miller was acquired by the Los Angeles Rams via trade ahead of last season’s trade deadline, forming a star-studded trio with Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey. Upon landing Miller, the Rams knew they were going to try to re-sign the All-Pro edge rusher, who was set to become an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his career.
After considering returning to Los Angeles following the team’s Super Bowl win, Miller chose to sign a multi-year deal with the Buffalo Bills. While it will be nearly impossible to replace Miller with one player, the Rams could find themselves looking to add an edge rusher in the 2022 NFL draft.
Ahead of the upcoming draft, I’ve been taking a look at a handful of prospects at positions of need for the Rams. With a glaring need off of the edge, Amare Barno out of Virginia Tech is an intriguing prospect that could interest Los Angeles.
Background
Barno attended Butler Community College before transferring to Virginia Tech in 2019. During his two seasons at Virginia Tech, Barno was deployed as an off-ball linebacker when he first arrived, but he was moved to defensive end in 2020.
In his two years at Virginia Tech, Barno accumulated 10 sacks and 21.5 tackles for loss. He would also force three fumbles and deflect three passes in his 21 games in college.
Following a quiet senior season in the sack department, Barno drastically improved his draft stock at the NFL scouting combine. The Virginia Tech product would run a 4.36 40-yard dash (1st among edge rushers) and a 4.45 20-yard shuttle (tied for 9th among edge rushers).
How he fits the Rams
While Leonard Floyd is going to hold down the fort on one side of the defensive front, it remains to be seen if the Rams want to rely on Justin Hollins, Chris Garrett, or Terrell Lewis to rush the passer on the other side.
There are still veterans that Los Angeles could pursue in free agency, but there’s a possibility they want to get another speed rusher in the 2022 NFL draft. Barno has shown upside as a speed rusher and he can bend around corners to get to the quarterback.
At the next level, Barno would benefit from improving his functional strength, which would help him prevent offensive linemen from overpowering him once they get their hands on him. Getting to work with Donald, Floyd, Greg Gaines, and the other defensive linemen on the Rams would aid Barno in his development.
Draft projection
In most mock drafts, Barno has been projected to land somewhere in the fourth- to fifth-round range. Even with his lack of production, his performance at the NFL scouting combine and the upside he possesses should be enough to get him drafted somewhat early on Day 3.
The Rams enter the 2022 NFL draft with eight total picks and seven of them are on Day 3. Provided that, Los Angeles will have a couple of opportunities to select Barno unless there’s a team that values him pretty high.
Given the Rams’ apparent need at the edge rusher position, I’d expect them to consider a few prospects in the middle rounds of the draft. If Barno makes it to the fifth round, Los Angeles should unquestionably consider selecting him to add some speed to their pass-rushing unit.
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