The Los Angeles Rams had not used a first-round pick since selecting Jared Goff first overall in 2016 — that is, until this year during the 2024 NFL Draft. The Rams have been all-in for some time now trying to maximize their title window by bringing in veterans to win in the present. Though Los Angeles has been down on premium picks, they've still drafted very well over the years. They've had some big hits late in the last few drafts. They hope the best moves they made in this year's draft can follow suit.
Drafting Jared Verse
Adding to their pass rush during the draft was of the utmost priority for the Rams. It had to have been after the retirement of franchise cornerstone Aaron Donald. The Rams ranked 14th in the NFL in pass rush win rate last season, according to ESPN. Donald was a big reason for them being even that high. He led all interior defensive linemen in that metric on an individual basis in 2023.
Kobie Turner was outstanding for the Rams as a rookie last year. He finished 16th among interior linemen in pass rush win rate, so Los Angeles does have *someone* who can play Donald's role. But, it's going to take a village to fill the massive shoes the future Hall of Famer left behind. That is why the Rams' brass drafted Florida State's Jared Verse.
Verse was outstanding for the Seminoles last season. He posted a 90.8 pass rush grade according to PFF as well as a 21.8% pass rush win rate. Verse also accumulated 20 sacks over his two seasons at Tallahassee. The first round pick can win in a multitude of ways too. He has both power and finesse in his bag that he uses to get to opposing quarterbacks.
No one player is going to be able to replace Donald and his production, but Verse can help the Rams in their quest to do so. Los Angeles got great value selecting him 19th overall.
Drafting Blake Corum
Kyren Williams was utterly brilliant last season for the Rams. He burst onto the scene seemingly out of nowhere and put up 1,144 yards and 12 touchdowns in just 12 games. Williams also added 206 yards and three more scores in the passing game. He suddenly turned into one of the best running backs in the NFL out of nowhere. But, he did miss four games and the Rams' ground game was nowhere near the same in his absence.
That's why they used a third-round pick to take Michigan's Blake Corum. Corum was the true definition of a workhorse during his time with the Michigan Wolverines, especially his final two seasons there. In that span, he totalled 505 carries for 2,708 yards and 45 touchdowns with an additional 197 yards and two more scores through the air. He is a very patient runner who looks like a great fit in Sean McVay's offense.
Williams was brilliant last year, but Rams running backs other than him combined to gain 599 yards on 186 carries. That's good for an average of 3.22 yards per carry. That's awful. The Rams can't risk their running game going down with Williams again this year if he were to sustain an injury. That fate should be avoided now that Corum is in town.
Drafting Joshua Karty
Kickers are people too! The Rams took Stanford's Joshua Karty in the sixth round, and they could really use him. Karty missed just four field goals and one extra point in his final two seasons in Palo Alto. He was 41-45 and 45-46 in those aspects of the game, respectively.
Meanwhile, Rams kickers really struggled last season. Brett Maher converted just 74% of his field goals (17-23) and missed two extra points in eight games. Los Angeles cut him in the middle of the season only to bring him back after Lucas Havrisik proved himself to be just as unreliable. Havrisik made 75% of his field goals (15-20) as well as missing three of his extra point attempts.
The Rams have cycled through kickers since letting Greg Zuerlein leave in free agency a few years ago. They have to find a reliable option there. Hopefully, for their sake, Karty can fill that void.
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