Which positions will LA Rams target after this year’s draft?

With 67 players under contract and the potential to sign six more players from this year’s draft (assuming they don’t trade back with other teams to grab some more picks in the later rounds), the LA Rams should have 73 potential roster spots filled by the end of April. That leaves 17 vacancies to fill on the 90-man roster.

Enter the domain of the undrafted free agent, UFDA Land.

What positions should the team target here after the draft’s conclusion, with an eye towards not just filling roster spots but addressing needs and/or adding depth as well?

The candy scramble for players amongst teams will quickly ensue when the curtain draws on the draft. And there’s going to be quite a few NFL-caliber players available in early May who did not hear their name called out by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell from the (virtual) podium.

Every year there are a handful of players that slip through the cracks of the draft. Players emerge and have breakout seasons from the UDFA ranks. One of the most successful NFL at developing undrafted players is, you guessed it, the LA Rams.

After all, the draft is an inexact science, despite what all the analytics, metrics, measurables, and medical evaluations say about a player. Intangibles matter. (I guess that’s why they are called intangibles to begin with.)

Wide receiver is, by almost every draft expert’s account, widely established to be the deepest position in this year’s draft so it makes good sense for the Rams to plumb the depths of this particular position for a wideout, or even multiple wideouts. There is so much potential talent available at this position that there’s a distinct possibility a team could even snatch a rookie starter from here after the draft. And they should do so. It’s feast or famine, as the 2022 NFL Draft is currently projecting to be very light at the position.

A team gets a potential double bang for the buck when it picks a receiver because you might snag more than just a pass catcher, but punt or kick returner for your special teams in one fell swoop.

And certainly, special teams is one area the Rams can definitely improve upon.

Uncomfortable truths department: The Rams ranked 27th out of 32 teams last year for special teams play, and even more alarmingly, last among the four teams in the NFC West, according to NFL Special Teams Rankings 2020. Maybe it’s not the bottom, but you can almost see it from there.

The second area of depth this year is interior offensive linemen, with potential starters to be found late into Day Three of this year’s draft. That means there will be value here after the draft is completed and the Rams would do well to grab two or three players here for additional roster depth. Can a team ever have too many good offensive linemen?

Finally, edge defender is seen as a deep position in this year’s draft, as well. The Rams would be well advised to intensely explore players who might be available here as well, after the draft.

All in all, the Rams are not done with their roster-building until they have addressed 90 roster spots, and by today’s reckoning, that will include well over a dozen players beyond the draft.