Los Angeles Rams earn No. 23 pick in 2018 NFL Draft

After their early exit from the playoffs after losing to the Atlanta Falcons in the Wild Card Round, the Los Angeles Rams will select 23rd in the 2018 NFL Draft.

As painful as it sounds to say out loud, the Los Angeles Rams can officially begin preparing for the next couple of months of what should be a busy offseason since their season is officially over after falling to the Atlanta Falcons in the Wild Card round of the playoffs. And since the Rams are no longer competing to represent the NFC in Super Bowl 52, Sean McVay‘s team found out shortly after the conclusion of the thrilling game between the Carolina Panthers and New Orleans Saints that they would be selecting at No. 23 in the upcoming 2018 NFL Draft, courtesy of NFL.com.

While the 23rd pick may not seem like that big of a deal at the moment, keep in mind Los Angeles missed out on a first-round pick last year as part of the trade with the Tennessee Titans that helped land Jared Goff at No. 1 during the 2016 NFL Draft. In fact, both parties ended up being winners of this trade since Goff took a major leap this season by proving to Los Angeles he does in fact have what it takes to lead the offense while Tennessee took advantage of being able to draft wideout Corey Davis at No. 5 last April.

For a team coming off a four-win season, not having a first-round pick last year was a crushing feeling for the Rams, but when seeing all of the success from the team during McVay’s first year as head coach, everything seemed to turn out just fine. Now, the question becomes what position Los Angeles will focus on with the No. 23 pick, ranging from cornerback to guard.

Next: NFL Power Rankings: Rams lose to Falcons in Wild Card Round

For the first time in a while, the Rams will actually be assigned to a pick later in the first round since the team is coming off their first playoff appearance since the 2003 season after locking up the NFC West title in 2017. Losing to Atlanta as early as they did hasn’t been the easiest to deal with, but hopefully this is a sign of things to come for Los Angeles when it comes to continuing to be one of the top contenders to beat in the NFC.