LA Rams past draft whiffs now present roster woes

2023 NFL Draft and beyond

What can the LA Rams expect in the 2023 NFL Draft? Well, the Rams actually have a solid projection of up to 10 draft picks after compensatory picks are awarded. But even with 10 picks, the Rams will need to do a much better job of identifying roster needs and setting up their draft board accordingly.

The final estimated tally for the 2023 NFL Draft is as follows:

• First round – 0 (none)
• Second round – 1 (one), pick 37
• Third round – 1 (one), pick 68
• Fourth-round – 0 (zero)
• Fifth-round – 2 (two), picks 170, 173
• Sixth-round – 4 (four), picks 183, 186, 201, 211
• Seventh-round – 2 (two), pick 224, 254
• Total 2023 NFL Draft picks– 10 (Ten)

But what of the team’s needs? With all offensive linemen returning healthy in 2023 except left guard David Edwards, should the team prioritize offensive linemen in the upcoming draft? What of the need to get better at running the football? To add depth to the quarterback room? To add a blocking tight end? What about the defense and the performance that tries to cap explosive plays, but the questionable performance from the safety position in recent games?

Any prospects drafted in 2023 must be coached up in order to make positive contributions. and while the LA Rams hold two picks in the Top 100, doesn’t the 2023 NFL Draft already feel different for this team?

This is all new for the Rams, and perhaps some Rams fans

After all, the LA Rams have never drafted after a season with a losing record. And from the looks of things, the team has never struggled so much since hiring Sean McVay as the team’s head coach to integrate rookie draft classes into the team.

Do the LA Rams miss the eye for roster talent of former personnel executives Brad Holmes and Ray Agnew, who have since signed to run the Detroit Lions organization? It appears that in some regard, the team most definitely does.

This is no longer a team that hits on draft picks, it seems. This is no longer a team that can continue to add receivers, and simply hope that fundamental needs like the offensive line just take care of themselves. There are reports that the Rams have lacked cohesiveness this season, and that is quite true. But that lack of cohesiveness began as early as the 2021 NFL Draft, a draft where the team needed beef cattle and bison up front, but opted for greyhounds and cheetahs instead.

Perhaps most importantly, the LA Rams are no longer at the forefront of the latest successful innovations in the NFL. The power running game is now the headliner for offense, and swift defenses that can cover the entire football field are the talk of the town on the other side of the football.  The Rams are not dinosaurs. They are simply a team that has been decimated by injuries and have become rigid in their thinking as the NFL has changed all around them.

A good off-season can change everything for this team. But only if the powers-that-be pay attention.