INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 08: Matthew Stafford #9 , Kevin Dotson #69 and Steve Avila #73 of the Los Angeles Rams take the field before a game against the Buffalo Bills at SoFi Stadium on December 08, 2024 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images) | Getty Images Going into the week of the 2026 NFL Draft, a lot of good teams have a bad need at guard, which is why so many of them could be drafting offensive line help on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. However, one of several problems with drafting a guard to start in 2026 is that many of these prospects are not even guards yet.Some of the top prospects, like Alabama tackle Kadyn Proctor for example, will need to be moved and taught and start their careers all over again, in a way.Conversely, the Rams are in the rare position of not only having two starting guards that they like but also in the difficult position of deciding whether or not they can pay both Steve Avila and Kevin Dotson before they become free agents in 2027.

This is why L.A. could consider a guard like Vega Ioane with the 13th overall pick, if not trading down or trading up from the second round to secure a different interior offensive lineman like Chase Bisontis or Keylan Rutledge.Their situation at guard, combined with the weakness of other teams, begs for us to ask the question:Could the Rams just not reset the clock at guard now by trading either Avila or Dotson for picks that help Les Snead secure his replacement now, not later? If the Rams do not intend to extend both guards, maybe they should trade one.How good of a haul could they get now?Teams that need guards in 2026Guard is cited as the biggest need for the Ravens by many, including USA Today:The free agent loss of center Tyler Linderbaum has a ripple effect across Baltimore’s offensive line, especially in the interior.

The Ravens signed veteran center Danny Pinter and guard John Simpson in free agency. However, work still needs to be done to solidify the interior of their offensive line. Cornerback depth is another area the Ravens could look to address after they finished at the bottom of the AFC in pass defense.The most common mock draft pick in the universe, besides Fernando Mendoza to the Raiders, is Ioane to the Ravens at pick 14.But what if instead Baltimore took a different player who they need—like say a wide receiver or Kenyon Sadiq—and traded a day two pick for Steve Avila?The Ravens hold picks 45 and 80 on day two.

It is out of line to suggest trading Avila for pick 80 or maybe L.A. could swap pick 61 for pick 45 and Baltimore throws in a fourth round pick? Then maybe the Rams could get Rutledge in round 2.USA Today also mentioned the Chargers:The Chargers had the worst offensive line in football last year by multiple metrics. As a result, LA’s set to have three new starters along the interior of its O-line.

New additions Tyler Biadasz and Cole Strange are penciled in at center and right guard, respectively. There’s a vacancy at left guard that could be filled in the draft.The L.A. Chargers hold pick 55 and 86.

Would you trade Avila or Dotson for picks 86 and 123?The Rams save cap space and in the same move reload the middle of their draft class. If the Rams drafted Vega in the first round, they could have an immediate upgrade at the position and get younger/cheaper.ESPN cited the Giants as having a hole at right guard;The remaining glaring need on offense is at right guard, where Daniel Faalele was just signed as another John Harbaugh follower — but ask Ravens fans how it feels to have Faalele start 17 games. The Giants have fine-to-strong starters at all other positions along the line and shouldn’t faff around with the fifth pick here accordingly.

They draft too early in the first round, but No. 37 is a great spot for guards in this draft, including Keylan Rutledge (Georgia Tech) and Chase Bisontis (Texas A&M).It looks like everyone expects the Giants to be active during the draft. The problem is that the Giants don’t have a third round pick.I’m not sure how much they would value Kevin Dotson, but a guy like John Harbaugh does know the value of a great offensive line and New York is desperate to get better in a hurry around quarterback Jaxson Dart. Is Dotson a better move for the Giants than Bisontis, Proctor, Rutledge, or Emmanuel Pregnon?

The Giants supposedly want to draft Jeremiyah Love, what’s it worth to them to have an offensive line for Love? Would they overpay for that offensive line help?Surprisingly, ESPN also listed the Eagles as already having a need for an interior line help again despite so much investment in recent years:The driving force behind the Eagles’ Super Bowl LIX win was their offensive line, and that unit is suddenly in jeopardy. Left guard Landon Dickerson and center Cam Jurgens are both returning from injury-hampered seasons; right guard Tyler Steen is in a contract year; right tackle Lane Johnson is coming off an ankle injury and was reportedly mulling retiremen