2023 draft class is suddenly very important to LA Rams future

While the LA Rams may not have a first-round draft pick, there is a lot of misinformation raging among some fans who really do not have a good handle on just how solid the LA Rams draft picks are. The misinformation that is raging right now is so far off the mark that many fans are angry, frustrated, and feeling despair over the future of the LA Rams franchise.

So let’s quell some of the concerns and set the record straight. The LA Rams have a pretty solid assortment of draft picks projected for the 2023 NFL Draft.  But before we do that, let’s just run down when and how often the LA Rams have picked in the six previous drafts since the team has combined GM Les Snead and HC Sean McVay. To get our 2023 NFL Draft pick projections, you can click this link here.  If you want to see which picks are allotted, which are projected to be awarded as compensatory picks, and when those picks are expected to fall as of mid-November 2022, you can click this link here.

• Draft          17   18   19   20   21   22  23 Projected       
• Round 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
• Round 2 1 0 1 2 1 0 1
• Round 3 2 1 3 2 1 1 2
• Round 4 2 1 1 1 3 1 0
• Round 5 0 2 1 0 1 1 3
• Round 6 2 4 0 1 0 2 3
• Round 7 1 2 2 3 3 3 2
• Total 8 10 8 9 9 8 11

The Rams are set up to have as many picks in this draft as that of 2018, but as early as their draft in 2017. So how did the Rams do in those drafts?

In 2017, the Rams emerged with:
TE Gerald Everett (44th),
WR Cooper Kupp (69th),
DB John Johnson (91st),
WR Josh Reynolds (117th), and
OLB Samson Ebukam (125th).

But the LA returned to the draft in 2018, and this time the Rams emerged with:
OT Joe Noteboom (89th),
IOL Brian Allen (111th),
OLB Ogbonnia Okoronkwo (160th),
DT Sebastian Joseph-Day (195th), and
LB Travin Howard (231st)
Multiple starters and at least one All-Pro player from those 18 draft picks is a solid track record.

Although the current situation is not optimal, the team proved after a forgettable 2019 NFL season that it’s quite capable of rebounding quickly and significantly. The team won Super Bowl LVI just two years after struggling with horrible offensive line play because the team did not panic and stuck to its guns.  Ultimately, NFL teams win championships by NOT following along with what everyone else is doing.

The bottom line is this. The 2023 NFL Draft class will be vital to the LA Rams’ future success. You can see above that the two draft classes prior to SB LIII were vital to the team’s competing in the NFL Championship game, and three years later were vital to the Rams’ Super Bowl LVI victory.

Sure, reports about the Rams trading picks for players will make the headlines. But the strength of this team is its youth, and the ability to draft well. That’s why the 2023 draft class is suddenly very important to LA Rams’ future success.