LA Rams see draft picks as bitcoins. Why don’t other NFL teams?

The fallacy of first-round picks

And yet, the LA Rams have continued to find success, now in their fifth NFL season, without having a single first-round draft pick. How can that be possible? Aren’t we led to believe in the annual NFL hype machine that the only way to build a roster from the ground up is through the NFL Draft? And the only way to ensure landing game-changing talent is to choose rookies who are selected on Day 1.

Or have the NFL draft analysts and pundits been lying to us all this time? Is the fairy tale about the NFL Draft just stories to engage the fans of less productive teams?

Perhaps it’s a little of both?

In his recent conversation between NFL analyst Brian Baldinger and host Neil Reynolds regarding the LA Rams’ innovative use of draft picks, a curious point was raised in the discussion.

They discussed the sharp contrast of the LA Rams, who have not made a selection in the first round of an NFL Draft since hiring head coach Sean McVay, and yet the Rams are 7-1.  In stark contrast, over that same five-year period, the Miami Dolphins have made 12 first-round draft selections, and yet are currently 1-7.

Well, if nothing else, the LA Rams are proving beyond a shadow of a doubt that building a successful NFL roster does not need the annual infusion of ‘elite’ rookie talent.  Instead, the Rams have chosen another way to build a bear.