Report: Makai Lemon was 'definitely' in mix for Rams, along with 2 other players

The Los Angeles Rams went the unexpected route in Round 1 on Thursday night, selecting Ty Simpson over a bevy of other promising prospects. Les Snead and Sean McVay prioritized the most important position in football, selecting a player they believe will be their successor to Matthew Stafford.

As much as the Rams liked Simpson, he obviously wasn’t their only potential target in Round 1. They had to have fallback plans in case another team took Simpson before them – which by all accounts seemed unlikely.

A new story from ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reveals that multiple sources told him Makai Lemon was “definitely” in the mix for the Rams on Thursday.

However, the Rams were all-in on Simpson, who some in their building compared favorably to Fernando Mendoza.

"There wasn't much debate -- if Simpson was there, they were taking him," said a personnel source**,**going as far as to say Simpson compared favorably to No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza in parts of the building.

Another player who was “believed to be part of the Rams’ first-round conversation at some point” was Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq. Caleb Downs was also in the mix for the Rams “if he slid that far.” But as mentioned above, the Rams were taking Simpson if he was on the board.

Fowler added that the Rams received trade calls about the 13th pick, where teams were trying to get in front of the Ravens for guard Olaivavega Iaone. The Rams turned down those offers and stood pat, taking Simpson.

It's clear and obvious that the Rams are big fans of Simpson, and they believe they got their guy.

This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: NFL draft: Rams had Makai Lemon, 2 others in 1st-round mix