Great Deal: The Rams Head Coach Sean McVay Announced The 3 Commit Players
The Rams are slated to make their first selection in the 2024 NFL Draft at 19th overall, but general manager Les Snead has left all options on the table between trading up, staying put and making a pick, or trading back.
Mock drafts have consistently projected Los Angeles addressing its pass rush by selecting an edge rusher or interior defensive lineman. Whether L.A. addresses defense or offense, what might their options be based one of those three aforementioned paths?
Asked that question during his conference call on Wednesday, NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah reinforced those two positions as logical moves whether they move up or stay put in exploring those scenarios.
As of April 17, the Rams have 11 total picks heading into this year’s draft, tied with the Cardinals and Packers for most among all 32 teams.
“They have the ammunition if they want to move up,” Jeremiah said.
If the Rams decide to do so, Jeremiah – responding to a separate question about the Broncos’ options at 12th overall – could see that being a spot the Rams move up to and drafting a tackle. Jeremiah pointed to Texas defensive tackle Byron Murphy II as a logical target for them to move up for, or one of the three best available edge rushers on the board if the Rams have a preference among that trio.
For edge rushers, Jeremiah has Alabama’s Dallas Turner ranked No. 12 on his current Top 50 overall prospects, followed by Florida State’s Jared Verse at 14, UCLA’s Laiatu Latu at 16 and Penn State’s Chop Robinson at 21. Turner is widely projected as the first edge rusher to go off the board this year, though Jeremiah said some teams have Latu as their No. 1 at the position. Jeremiah has Latu going 19th overall to the Rams in his most recent mock draft for NFL.com.
“There’s a lot of people out there that think that Chop Robinson could end up being the second edge rusher to go,” Jeremiah said. “Those four guys, I think there’s a decent chance one of those four guys is just going to be right there for them at 19, and that would not be a bad way to go.”
And of course, knowing how Snead operates, Jeremiah didn’t rule out the team trading back and accumulating more picks, and said “you could made an argument that might be the smartest course of action there.” Los Angeles entered the 2023 NFL Draft without a first-round pick, but still had 11 picks at their disposal heading into Day 1 and ended up making 14 total by the end of it.
“(19th), that was one of the spots I thought, okay, that would be the most Les move ever, is they finally have a first round pick after all these years, and right when they go on the clock, they announce they’ve traded out to get some assets here in the second round,” Jeremiah said.
The NFL Draft is arguably more about drafting for the future that it is about the now. Of course, it’s nice to draft players that can contribute immediately. However, if the Los Angeles Rams and other teams are looking to fill immediate needs in the draft, that says a lot about current roster construction. Those should mostly be filled by experienced players in free agency and players that the team has developed.
Over the past few years, general manager Les Snead has taken the approach of drafting needs for the next season. While there are some immediate needs on the roster, Snead may look to draft from a wide lens as well and look to fill needs for next year. Below is a general look at the Rams depth chart and when contracts expire to give us a look and where those needs might be on the roster.
Quarterback
Matthew Stafford – Signed Through 2026
Jimmy Garoppolo – Signed Through 2024
Stetson Bennett – Signed Through 2026
The quarterback position really comes down to what the Rams think about Stetson Bennett. It’s true that he played well in his preseason debut last year. At the same time, it wasn’t very pretty after that and he was away from the team his entire rookie season. Garoppolo is signed for just one year.
While it might not make sense to draft a quarterback early, taking one late on day two or more likely on day three is an option. The Rams could bring in a fourth quarterback and have them compete with Bennett as the third quarterback on the roster. That player could then learn behind Garoppolo who understands the system as the team’s future backup quarterback.
Running Back
Kyren Williams – Signed Through 2025
Ronnie Rivers – RFA After 2024
Zach Evans – Signed Through 2026
With Kyren Williams signed through the next two seasons, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to draft a running back on day two this year to become the potential starter. The Rams also have Rivers and Evans who they drafted last year. That’s not terrible depth.
