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TCU Football OL Steve Avila selected by the Rams in 2nd round of NFL Draft, 36th overall

The consensus All-American Horned Frog is headed to the NFC West

TCU v West Virginia Photo by Chris Bernacchi/Diamond Images via Getty Images

Congratulations to Steve Avila, the second Horned Frog selected in the 2023 NFL Draft, selected in the second round by the Los Angeles Rams with the 36th overall pick on Friday night. The versatile offensive lineman played 46 games at Center, Guard, and Tackle across four seasons with TCU after redshirting his first year in Fort Worth. The three-time All-Conference honoree earned First Team All-American honors in 2022 as a team captain, anchoring the offensive line for TCU’s run to the National Championship game, not allowing a single sack throughout the 15 game season.

Avila was invited to the Senior Bowl showcase and the NFL Combine where he measured 6’ 3.5” 332 pounds and continued to show his superb agility and fluid movement, putting up solid scores in all athletic testing, including a 4.74 seconds short-shuttle and 7.85 second three-cone. He has tested at multiple O-Line roles, excelling in both the run and pass game; he will be a valuable addition to the Rams offensive line unit

The Grand Prairie native is the 17th all time Second Round draft pick from TCU and the fourth in the past five seasons, joining: Ben Banogu 49th to the Colts in 2019, Ross Blacklock 40th to the Texans in 2020, and Trevon Moehrig 43rd to the Raiders in 2021. Avila is the tenth TCU offensive lineman drafted in the last 15 drafts, including Super Bowl Champions Marcus Cannon, Marshall Newhouse, Halapoulivaati Vaitai, Joseph Noteboom, and Lucas Niang,

Avila will join fellow Horned Frog Joseph Noteboom on the Rams offensive line; Noteboom was selected by the Rams 89th overall in the 2018 NFL Draft. He will also be joining Quentin Johnston in Southern California, drafted in the first round on Thursday by the LA Chargers, where they both will play home games in SoFi Stadium, site of the National Championship where they suffered their greatest football defeat. Let the TCU-Los Angeles redemption begin!