Which positions should LA Rams draft on Day 2 of the 2023 NFL Draft?

Let’s talk about tradeoffs

It’s all tradeoffs, and that is why tunnel vision entering the NFL draft is not always wise. Try some online NFL Draft simulators and see for yourself. Just because the Rams need an offensive lineman does not mean that the right one will be on the board when the Rams step up to the podium. And that’s just one of the many constrictive forces at work right now that the Rams must overcome.

There have been far too many fans who have pointed to the Philadelphia Eagles and wondered why the Rams did not, could not, duplicate their method of investing so heavily in an offensive line. The brutal reason? QB Jalen Hurts. NFL quarterbacks on rookie deals who play very well is the worst-kept secrets to jump-starting an NFL team’s playoff chances.  While the Kansas City Chiefs were cutting a nearly $50 million check for QB Patrick Mahomes, the Philadelphia Eagles paid their quarterback, Jalen Hurts, a tenth of that amount, or just $4.8 million.

Rookie contract QBs are an NFL cheat code

It’s that pay differential at the quarterback position that has helped teams like the LA Chargers, the Cincinnati Bengals, and the New York Giants become playoff teams. Cheap effective quarterback play gives teams a chance to redirect mounds of money to other key positions like wide receivers, offensive linemen, defensive backs, and pass rushers.

But that all changes when those quarterbacks graduate from rookie contracts and want to ‘get paid.’ Then it’s the teams who mete out dollars to some positional groups like the LA Rams and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who have the upper hand at NFL success.

Sure, there is a bit of risk and luck involved. The LA Rams won Super Bowl LVI because their players were just better than the players of every team faced along the way to the Lombardi Trophy. But even the Rams had an ace up their sleeve because much of what veteran OLB Von Miller was paid in the 2021 NFL season came from the Denver Broncos.

The Rams will need to make tough choices once more, and the fans who cheer for the team may or may not appreciate the trade-offs that those decisions will bring about. But this is a seasoned veteran team, and the Rams have been to the Super Bowl twice in the past six years. Let’s see how they get back to the NFL Championship Game this season.