2024 NFL Mock Draft: Buccaneers benefit from a Top 10 shakeup

The loss of Jalen Ramsey has been impossible to ignore on a Rams defense that looks like a shell of its former self. Some might say that an aging Matthew Stafford suggests the offense needs to be rebuilt, but it’s the defensive side of the ball that should take priority.

Los Angeles has entered the last two offseasons facing the very real possibility that Aaron Donald retires, and the third time might be when it actually happens. The Rams could take a guy like Bo Nix here and let him get developed by Sean McVay, but that’s assuming the head coach won’t also step away from the game after this season.

All of the uncertainty puts the Rams in a weird spot with how to use this pick, which means they shouldn’t overthink it. Alabama’s Kool-Aid McKinstry is the best cornerback in the draft, and can serve as both a replacement for Ramsey and an investment in a defense that needs an influx of talent. He’s a shutdown outside cornerback who the team can start building the next generation of its defense around — plus with a name like Kool-Aid McKinstry he belongs out west in Hollywood.