The Rams haven’t made a significant impact since their 2021 Super Bowl victory, losing to the Lions in the playoffs last season. Adding to their difficulties, defensive pillar Aaron Donald announced his retirement earlier this year. Many believe it will take time to fill the void left by Donald, and the team may struggle to stay afloat. However, NFL teams should brace themselves, as the Rams could very well be Lombardi-bound this year.
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During a segment called ‘Overrated or Underrated’ on ‘NFL Daily,’ writer Nick Shook confidently labeled the Rams’ 2024 draft as underrated. Despite receiving little to no attention, the draft picks have bolstered their defensive line and attacked their weak spots.
After already investing in their D-line last year by drafting Kobe Turner and Desjuan Johnson, they reinforced their line again this year with the addition of Florida State’s Jared Verse and Braden Fiske. Offensively, they added another RB, National Champion Blake Corum, to complement Kyren Williams. This clearly impressed the veteran analyst, as he stated,
“We all know what Kobe Turner did on the D-Line last year in Los Angeles… The kid’s a stud. They reinvested in D-Line again twice. They go get Jared Verse, they go get his Florida State teammate, Braden Fiske, in the 2nd round. And on the offensive side, they went and got Blake Corum, the RB of Michigan… Just savvy moves.”
Investing in defense has become a pattern for the Rams. After languishing at 16th in overall defense in 2022, they felt a need for improvement and drafted seven defensive players, including Turner. However, things regressed, and the club found themselves at 20th in overall defense in 2023.
This led the team to draft five more defensive players. In addition to Verse and Fiske, who will complement each other, they also picked up Edge Brennan Jackson, DI Tyler Davis, and safety Kamren Kinchens.
Both Turner and Young from the 2023 class had good rookie seasons and will look to build on that success. However, they still lack experience and will now have to work with other rookies. Meanwhile, their new DC, Chris Shula, has to navigate this tough situation in the post-Donald world.
That being said, while the club selected several standout players through the draft and filled a lot of holes, unfortunately, there were many on their wishlist they couldn’t get.
Attention on LA Rams’ 2024 Draft Was More on ‘Missed Selections’
Even though the Rams had an exceptional D-Day in Detroit, their draft class has received the same level of consideration as those of other teams. This is primarily because they missed out on many high-value targets on their wishlist. One such target was UGA’s star tight end, Brock Bowers. The Rams were desperate to move up in the draft, but the Raiders pounced on the opportunity and snagged Bowers at 13.
Another target was Longhorns defensive tackle Byron Murphy, who was drafted by the Seahawks at 16th, while the Rams ended up selecting Jared Verse at 19th. It was quite a blow for the team, as Murphy was considered the best DT in the class.
The phenomenal Matt Stafford trade brought them the missing piece they needed to lift the Lombardi after two decades. However, it came at a high cost, as they gave up their 2021 third-round pick and two first-round picks in 2022 and 2023. This set them back, and the situation was compounded by the loss of Jalen Ramsey and Leonard Floyd.
Despite these challenges, Les Snead and McVay have managed to steer the ship, bringing in another great draft class this year. They look poised to be Super Bowl contenders yet again.
