Los Angeles Rams: 15 best first-round draft picks of all-time

Football fans tend to forget that Jerome Bettis actually started his career as a member of the Rams. They were in Los Angeles back in 1993 when he was drafted No. 10 out of Notre Dame. He even a briefly spent year in St. Louis before the future Hall of Famer was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers on the day of the 1996 NFL Draft.

After two impressive years to begin his NFL career that consisted of a pair of trips to the Pro Bowl, 2,454 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns, Bettis took a bit of a step back in 1995 when he rushed for 637 yards and only three scores.

Clearly, some changes to the coaching staff resulted in the Rams failing to use Bettis to his true potential. The Steelers deserve plenty of credit for their willingness to bring him on board in 1996, since he’s now considered one of the greatest running backs to ever play the game.

If Bettis actually lasted more than three seasons with the Rams, there’s a good chance the running back would have finished much higher on this list. He is a Pro Football Hall of Famer for a reason with over 13,000+ career rushing yards to show for it.

Looking back, the Rams may have some regrets over their decision to trade Bettis when they did, instead of trying to make some adjustments on offense. Then again, everything happens for a reason, right?