2019 NFL Draft: Projected First Round after NFL Combine

Florida’s Jachai Polite came into the combine with an opportunity to catapult toward the Top 10 of the draft, but he was one of the biggest disappointments in Indianapolis. Polite was heavier than expected, which wouldn’t have been a bad thing if the added pounds were a result of tacking on muscle. It wasn’t, and the added bad weight seemed to affect his explosiveness as his 40-time came in at an underwhelming 4.84 considering his size.

Polite left the combine with a supposed hamstring injury, which could have been a convenient excuse for him to latch on to after his subpar showing. He also didn’t interview well, and wasn’t afraid to air his frustrations with teams picking apart his game.

Polite now looks like a fringe-first round prospect who could easily fall into the draft’s second day. He has a lot of ground to make up at his Florida Pro Day on March 27. Hopefully he can get back in shape and alleviate some of the concerns that popped up at the combine.

Polite made mention of having a great interview with the Rams, and they could be the beneficiary of his slip down draft boards at the end of the first round. There are question marks surrounding the Florida product, but he’s undeniably talented and could still make a big impact at the next level.

The Rams got very little out of their edge rushers in 2018, instead having to rely almost solely on Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald to get after quarterbacks from the interior of the defensive line. Even with Donald’s league leading 20.5 sacks, Los Angeles still placed just 15th in the league overall.

If the Rams feel like Polite’s issues outweigh his upside, then they might look at shelving their need at edge rusher until later in the draft. They could turn their attention toward the defensive secondary, with needs at both corner and safety.