A week out from the NFL Draft, what can we expect from Rams in round one?

What is Les Snead planning on the first night of the NFL Draft?

The NFL Draft is just a week away. The first round on Thursday night usually has no shortage of excitement and surprises in store for fans, and the Los Angeles Rams seem to have a wealth of options at their disposal. We’ve seen general manager Les Snead move up and down the draft board to come away with top talent or accumulate capital for future years, and there’s no telling what he’s planning for 2024.

What are the Rams’ options on Thursday night when round one gets underway?

Stay put at #19

If Los Angeles stays at #19, there are several prospects they’ve commonly been linked to through mock drafts. A glaring need at outside linebacker makes for an easy fit, but the Rams have a way of keeping things interesting and could surprise by instead selecting an impact offensive player.

EDGE Defender

There is clearly is top three group of edge rushers in this draft class, but it’s difficult to discern how teams have them ranked and which order they could come off the board. The consensus top player appears to be Alabama’s Dallas Turner, and he could go as early as pick #8 to the Atlanta Falcons. Jared Verse of Florida State and Laiatu Latu of UCLA were more productive players at the college level but their athletic traits may not project as favorably to the professional game. It’s probably unlikely that all three would be taken by the time pick #19 rolls around.

Chop Robinson of Penn State is a popular name for the Rams, but he seems better slotted in the later part of the first round. Would he be a reach if the Rams selected him at #19?

Cooper DeJean, CB; Iowa

A versatile secondary piece that would be an overall talent upgrade over nearly any current starter in LA.

Reserve offensive tackle

Amarius Mims and Tyler Guyton are tackle prospects that could both benefit from a year of development before they are asked to start in the NFL. LA is well positioned to have these players sit behind Alaric Jackson and Rob Havenstein as rookies. Is that a wise use of the nineteenth pick, or are these players better targets if the team decides to trade down?

Make a splash on offense

Bo Nix, anyone? It’s unlikely that either Drake Maye or JJ McCarthy would be around at this point, and Nix would be the best quarterback that is likely to be left on the board. The Rams could develop Nix for a year behind Matthew Stafford and Jimmy Garoppolo before deciding on a plan for 2025 and beyond.

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Blaine Grisak’s seven-round mock draft for Rams

NFL Insider guarantees McVay will draft offense if LA doesn’t trade back

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Then there are the passing catching options like LSU’s Brian Thomas, Texas’ AD Mitchell and Xavier Worthy, Georgia’s Ladd McConkey, and others. While it might be temping to add a first-round receiver, the smarter play might be to wait until the second round if there are multiple players still available with similar grades.

Get aggressive and trade up

There’s a player that unexpectedly falls every year. While they might not make it all the way to #19, if one of the top quarterbacks like Drake Maye or JJ McCarthy start to slip out of the top 10, the Rams could be enticed to make a move up the draft order. Both Maye and McCarthy are young prospects that would benefit from a year of development before being thrust into action, and Los Angeles is uniquely equipped with two veterans to be patient at the position. The Rams haven’t financially committed to Stafford past 2024 and seem to be keeping their options open. While they seem committed to the QB, actions certainly speak louder than words.

I think TE Brock Bowers from Georgia is another player that could excite the Rams and compel them to move up if he makes it past the New York Jets at #10 overall. Sean McVay’s offense would be the ideal schematic fit for Bowers, who is a player who may need a role crafted for him in order to get the most out of his draft position.

Trade down and accumulate draft capital

Say both Latu and Verse are still available at edge rusher. Maybe DeJean and another corner or two are still on the board and the Rams have similar grades on the player. While a couple of WR’s may have been taken already, this is a deep class and LA can afford to pick their preference later but still add talent on the offensive side of the ball.

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JB Scott: Who should Rams target if they trade down from pick #19?

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Why hastily make a decision between similarly graded players when you could move down the draft order and accumulate either additional picks in 2024 or load up on capital for next year (when you might need to make a move for a franchise QB and/or replacement for Stafford)? Of course, it takes two to tango and trading down is often much easier said than done. This is a talented and deep draft crop at several positions like tackle and receiver, and the first round might fall in a way that benefits the Rams in terms of their current roster needs.

While it might not be the most exciting decision for fans, trading down could make a lot of sense for the Rams with as many needs as they have on the defensive side of the ball and the potential they may need to find a replacement for Stafford as soon as next offseason.