4 reasons why Rams must approach the 2025 NFL Draft ever so cautiously

(1) - Rams front office struggles to find weapons early in recent drafts

I would be remiss if I did not address the elephant in the room. Since the 2020 NFL Draft, the Rams have enjoyed remarkable success when choosing offensive skilled players in Round 5 or later. But when the team has targeted offensive contributors, the track record for the Rams front office has been a bit embarrassing. That fact became clear to me as I laid the groundwork for an article about how the team failed to get optimal value out of recently drafted RB Blake Corum.

In researching how effective the Rams offense has been in developing their early drafted offensive draft selections, a striking pattern materialized. Unlike the uncanny success that the team has enjoyed with Round 5 chosen running back Kyren Williams and Round 5 chosen wide receiver Puka Nacua, the Rams have taken shots at both running backs and wide receivers on Day 2 (and one in Round 4) in the past, with embarrassingly pathetic results.

From the team's Round 2 selection of former running back Cam Akers with the 52nd overall pick, the team's effort to land key offensive contributors has essentially come up empty handed so far. And yes, that encompasses the very disappointing rookie season for running back Blake Corum:

• 2020 - 52nd pick - RB Cam Akers - 1,443 yards | 10 TDs (5 years)
• 2020 - 57th pick - WR Van Jefferson - 1,449 yards | 10 TDs (4 years)
• 2021 - 57th pick - WR Tutu Atwell - 1,343 yards | 4 TDs (4 years)
• 2021 - 141st pick - TE/WR Jacob Harris - 6 yards | 0 TDs (3 years)
• 2024 - 83rd pick - RB Blake Corum - 207 rushing yards | 0 TDs

This is not about one player, one injury, one bad draft, or even a combination of the above. The team has tried repeatedly to land a contributor to this offense with draft selections of players who have, for one reason or another, have failed to make a significant contribution to this offense. While both Cam Akers and Van Jefferson showed flashes of NFL competence, their careers quickly dimmed over time in the Rams offense.

Yes, I acknowledge the omission of other offensive players like RB Zach Evans. He did not make an impact on the Rams offense, but was never truly expected to do so having been selected in Round 6 in the 2023 NFL Draft. As such, I'd limited the data table to players whose selection in the NFL Draft lends a certain level of expected return on the investment.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers benefited from 1,122 rushing yards and eight touchdowns last season out of rookie RB Bucky Irving. Irving was selected in Round 4 of the 2024 NFL Draft with the 125th overall pick by the Buccaneers. Now, compare Irving's rookie season to the NFL careers (on the Rams roster) of five offensive players selected in Round 4 or sooner of their respective drafts. The contrast is heartbreaking.

Ultimately, the Rams have trended at struggling to land offensive contributors in recent drafts, at least when the team made a deliberate effort to secure playmakers. The result of those past struggles is showing up now, with an offense that has a bloated payroll and underachieving statistics. The Rams must reverse recent trends in the 2025 NFL Draft.

And not having success at doing so, the Rams must use extra caution throughout their entire process.

As always, thanks for reading.

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