Which position will LA Rams address first in 2022 NFL Draft?

Somewhere in Hollywood Hills, California, final preparations are being made to create the perfect type of environment to restore the LA Rams roster once more. The refrigerator is getting stocked. cell phone chargers are getting plugged in. Whiteboards are getting set up throughout the house. It’s time, fans. Time for the 2022 NFL Draft.

And now, somewhere between days and hours, the Rams will be engaged with 31 other NFL organizations seeking to infuse a talented group of football prospects into their respective teams’ rosters. Of course, the LA Rams will be the last team to finally step up to the podium. But once they do, they will be visiting the podium rather frequently. Eight picks in the last 158 selections.  It will be a pretty hectic pace for the Rams to sustain at the end.

By the end of the 2022 NFL Draft, and the flurry of undrafted free agent rookie signings that take place immediately afterward, nearly 2900 football players find themselves employed by the National Football League.

Of course, there are a myriad of ways to get to the 90 (plus 1 thanks to the LA Rams’ participation in the International Pathway Program) player roster that all teams establish to begin training camp. But with no clear consensus, which position do you expect the LA Rams to address first?

Let’s start by focusing on the first pick used since the LA Rams paired GM Les Snead up with HC Sean McVay? Since that time, the pair have combined for five previous NFL drafts. So which position did they address first?

Choose wisely

Year   Rd  Posn   Player
2017  2     TE       Gerald Everett

2018  3     OL       Joseph Noteboom

2019  2     S         Taylor Rapp

2020  2     RB      Cam Akers
2020  2     WR     Van Jefferson

2021  2     WR     Tutu Atwell

Well, that didn’t give any discernable pattern.  What if we reset our focus upon the 3rd round of the previous five drafts? Perhaps the Rams data analytics has a discernible bias towards a position to select based upon the actual draft round itself?

Year   Rd  Pick Posn   Player
2017  3     69    WR     Cooper Kupp
2017  3     91    S          John Johnson III

2018  3     89    OL       Joseph Noteboom

2019  3     70     RB      Darrell Henderson Jr.
2019  3     79     CB       David Long Jr.
2019  3     97     OL       Bobby Evans

2020  3     84     OLB     Terrell Lewis
2020  3   104     S          Terrell Burgess

2021  3    103    ILB       Ernest Jones

Well, while there is no clear pattern yet, we do have a better image forming. The Rams have targetted the secondary three times, their offensive line twice, linebacker twice, and offensive skill players twice. But there must be more to this. Let’s try to connect the dots between players selected and coaching changes.

Is there a pattern?

We know in 2017, that head coach Sean McVay was hired and immediately set about reformulating the team’s offense. In 2018, the Rams were basically engaged in roster maintenance, anticipating their offensive linemen’s defections at the end of the season.

In 2019, the Rams’ offense and defense needed work. In 2020, the LA Rams brought in a new defensive coordinator, but the team had no feature running back So the team drafted Cam Akers, then focused on the defense. In 2021, the Rams had a new QB with a strong arm, so the team drafted a new weapon for the offense, and then set about drafting an upgrade at inside linebacker.

Wonderful. So where does that place us now? Well, the only major changes to the team have been the addition of new OC Liam Coen. The Rams appear to have plenty of weapons on offense. But for the defense? The Rams clearly have an urgent need at CB and OLB.

The Rams have made an early selection in Round 3 twice outside of the Top 100 in the past five years, once to select a safety, and once to select an inside linebacker. Here are our probability projections that we have determined for the LA Rams regarding which position they will most likely target with the 104th pick of the 2022 NFL Draft. We’ve even linked recent articles featuring those positions too:

CB   –   33 percent
If the LA Rams are drafting CB at 104, they face a tough choice
OLB –  20 percent chance
LA Rams Draft Big Board: Top 23 Edge rushers in 2022 draft class
RB   –  10 percent chance
OL   –   10 percent chance
2022 NFL Combine: 4 prospects to help LA Rams depth issues
WR –   10 percent chance
P     –      5 percent chance
LA Rams 2022 NFL Draft Big Board for punters? Yes, punters
TBD–     7 percent chance
Trade –  5 percent chance
Will the LA Rams trade or use picks to restock the 2022 roster?

How do you see the LA Rams using their first pick of the draft at 104?  Do you feel strongly about which position they will select? No need to name names, as we cannot guarantee who will be on the board when the Rams step up to the podium. Let us know your thoughts in the comments section. Happy Drafting!