Should the Los Angeles Rams move established cornerback to make room for talented rookie in crowded secondary?
In a recent 2025 NFL mock draft done by all 32 beat writers for The Athletic, the Los Angeles Rams walked away with Florida State cornerback Azareye'h Thomas. "Thomas is a long corner with good range who gives the Rams the size they badly need in their secondary, to pair on the outside with veteran […]
In a recent 2025 NFL mock draft done by all 32 beat writers for The Athletic, the Los Angeles Rams walked away with Florida State cornerback Azareye'h Thomas.
"Thomas is a long corner with good range who gives the Rams the size they badly need in their secondary, to pair on the outside with veteran Darious Williams (even though veteran starter Ahkello Witherspoon is back under contract for another season). Cobie Durant could move into the slot full-time with the selection of Thomas, who adds youth and talent to the DB room to match much of the rest of the defense."
This pick comes after a trade down from pick #26 to pick #30, a fine move overall.
The most interesting takeaway of this, at least for me, is the line of "Cobie Durant could move into the slot full-time" here. While this, by a lot of people, could easily be a throwaway line, it does make some sense, given his 5'10 frame. However, I think it's worth a slight exploration. Can, or rather should, Cobie Durant move to the slot to make way for a rookie cornerback on the outside?
Let's dive into this just a tad to see if the move makes sense.
Here's how Cobie Durant's numbers stack up when playing outside versus in the slot in both 2023 and 2024.
| Snaps | Targets | Completion % Allowed | Yards Allowed | TDs Allowed | First Downs Allowed | Interceptions | Pass Breakups | QBR when targeted | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Slot | 352 | 47 | 75.5% | 511 | 1 | 20 | 2 | 3 | 97.2 |
Outside | 516 | 63 | 55.5% | 417 | 2 | 19 | 0 | 10 | 92.9 |
It's jarring to see just how vastly different his performance is inside versus outside across the last two seasons. Even when being targeted more outside, his production allowed is starkly different than it is inside.
There are plenty of potential reasons as to why this could be the case, but that's a bit more in-depth than the point of this article. The bottom line is that over the last two seasons, Durant's play is significantly better when outside than inside.
Long story short, I don't believe Durant should move over into the slot. The numbers and film don't suggest that's a particular strength of his game right now. While he could learn how to play there, is it worth moving him away from the outside, where he is a relatively solid player?
Where does that leave the Rams in the draft? Cornerback is a very popular pick for them in mock drafts, but they have a bit of a logjam outside with Durant, Darious Williams, and Ahkello Witherspoon.
While none of those players in a vacuum should outright stop the Rams from drafting a premier cover player, it matters when we're discussing roster-building and resource allocation.
To me, this would point to a player with experience and/or a skill set that projects into the slot. It's not an easy move inside, so this requires a specific skill or a proven player into that role. At the top of this class, that most likely points to Texas cornerback Jahdae Barron, who projects best as a nickel corner at the next level. There are other names throughout the draft that fit, of course, but if the Rams go cornerback in round one, Barron's name seemingly checks the most boxes and would be the likeliest to earn a role early.
