The Rams, for the first time in eight years, have a first-round pick in the draft. In fact, in the 2024 NFL Draft, the LA Rams have not only a first round pick, but also a second-round pick and two third-round picks. What will Los Angeles’ brain trust do with this opportunity?
Analysts’ Assessments of the Rams’ Draft Needs
According to Sports Illustrated (SI), the Rams’ greatest needs to be addressed in the upcoming draft are the following, in order:
- Edge Rusher
- Secondary Help
- Wide Receiver/Tight End
- Eventual Successor to 36-Year-Old QB Matthew Stafford
- Placekicker
LA Sports Hub has an assessment comparable to that of SI, listing the Rams’ top needs in the following order:
- Placekicker
- Safety
- Cornerback
- Wide Receiver/Tight End
- Quarterback
ESPN/Football Outsiders analyst Aaron Schatz has a different perspective. He recommends that LA select an offensive lineman with its first-round pick.
Is the Receiver Position Actually an Area of Need for the Rams?
In light of the fact that the LA Rams have the tandem of first-team All-Pro Cooper Kupp and second-team All-Pro Puka Nacua at wide receiver, one may question whether the receiver position is actually an area of need for the team. Indeed, Kupp and Nacua are one of the top, if not the top, receiver tandems in the NFL.
Notwithstanding the excellence of Kupp and Nacua, LA might benefit from more depth at the receiver position, and since veteran tight ends Tyler Higbee and Hunter Long both suffered significant injuries in 2023, adding “more depth to the receiver corps” would be a prudent course of action.
The Secondary
Mel Kiper believes corner back is the position at which the LA Rams have the greatest need. Thus, in his mock draft, Kiper forecasts the team will use its first-round pick — the 19th overall pick — to select CB Cooper DeJean out of Iowa. DeJean, who stands 6’1″ tall and had five interceptions for the Hawkeyes last season, is in the No. 15 spot on Kiper’s Big Board. DeJean, who also excels at punt returning, was a first-team All-American selection last year.
Mel Kiper’s fellow ESPN draft analyst, Jordan Reid, also has the Rams selecting a cornerback with the 19th overall pick. However, instead of DeJean, Reid has LA taking speedy Clemson CB Nate Wiggins. (Reid has DeJean going to the Green Bay Packers with the 25th overall pick.) Wiggins ran a blazing 4.29 forty-yard dash at the NFL combine but only weighed in at 173 pounds. Kiper has Wiggins in the No. 16 spot on his Big Board, only one spot below DeJean.
Thus, there is not much daylight between the positions of Kiper and Reid on what LA is likely to do with its first-round selection; they both forecast the team using the pick on one of the first, if not the first, cornerbacks to be selected in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Placekicker
Los Angeles had serious struggles with placekicking throughout the past season. The team missed 16 field goals and extra points, more than any other team in the league. Thus, the Rams may go after a placekicker at some point in the draft. Kiper and Reid both rate Cam Little from Arkansas as the top kicking prospect.
Placekickers are rarely selected early in the draft. Only five have been selected in the first round. Thus, if history holds true to form, LA will likely wait to one of the later rounds before making a move to secure a new kicker. One mock draft has Cam Little going to LA in the sixth round.
Quarterback — Eventual Successor to Matthew Stafford
The Rams currently have two back-up QBs to Matthew Stafford on the roster, Carson Wentz and Stetson Bennett. The Rams selected Bennett in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL Draft. However, he left the team for undisclosed reasons last season, departing just three days after being named Stafford’s backup. (Stafford and Bennett both starred at the Univ. of Georgia.) Bennett was placed on LA’s reserve/non-football illness list. His status going forward is unclear. Wentz started one game in a back-up capacity last season. He is an unrestricted free agent, and his future status with the team is uncertain.
A FanSided mock draft has the Rams selecting Florida State quarterback Jordan Travis in the fifth round. Given the uncertainty surrounding the status of both Bennett and Wentz, L.A. may be compelled to select a quarterback at some point in the draft.
Lots of Moving Parts
As revealed by the foregoing, the LA Rams need to grapple with many considerations as they head into the 2024 NFL Draft. Fans will undoubtedly be interested to see whether the team’s priorities align with the assessments of draft experts.
The 2024 NFL Draft commences on April 25 in Detroit, Michigan. Trades and free-agent acquisitions are likely to take place prior to the commencement of the draft, along with other developments. Such events, which could alter the Rams’ needs and priorities, will be monitored and reported upon here. Stay tuned.