5 Bold Predictions that will shock fans for LA Rams in the 2024 NFL Draft

The pleasure that I get from watching football games fills my Sunday morning/afternoons with a great deal of satisfaction when the LA Rams win. But for the sake of adding to that entertainment, I like to compete in some amateur Fantasy Football leagues that gives me reason to follow and cheer for players in other NFL games.

Since that adds to the suspense and overall entertainment value of football games, why not apply the same tactic to Round 1 of the 2024 NFL Draft? Historically, because the Rams have not made a selection in that first round, I have filled the night with meeting friends at a sports bar and indulging in pizza and beers (responsibly) as we compare our guesswork projections for Round 1 with the tally board. Best guesser gets a free meal for the evening, worst guesser has to pay the largest portion, plus the tip.

It passes the time, laughs are plentiful, and it has distracted me from the fact that the Rams have had no stake in the first 32 prospects to come off the draft board. But the 2024 NFL Draft is following a different script. This year, the LA Rams enter the draft with 11 overall picks and have the 19th overall pick on Day 1. We have already shared the time for the LA Rams pick to be televised. All that remains now is to remain busy until the Rams step up to the podium.

That's where we come in. Why not attempt to make bold predictions to keep the night passing quickly? You can borrow our 5 Bold Predictions listed through the remainder of this article, or post 5 bold predictions on our Ramblin Fan Facebook page. In either case, you will have a reason to follow the early selections of the draft while you wait for the Rams to step up to the podium.

V: 4 quarterbacks will be off the board by the the time the LA Rams draft

One of the first 'BOLD' claims I will wade into is the fact that the LA Rams have a pick in Round 1. But what of the myriad of quarterback prospects who are projected to hear their names called out in the 2024 NFL Draft? In no particular order, they include (Relative index supplied by NFL.com website):

• USC QB Caleb Williams (6.74)
• North Carolina QB Drake Maye (6.50)
• LSU QB Jayden Daniels (6.73)
• Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy (6.40)
• Washington QB Michael Penix Jr. (6.25)
• Oregon QB Bo Nix (6.39)
• South Carolina QB Spencer Rattler (5.95)
• Tulane QB Michael Pratt (5.88)
• Florida State QB Jordan Travis (5.89)
• Tennessee QB Joe Milton III (5.80)

The QB prospect list above names the Top 10 mentioned quarterback in this year's draft class. Just for comparison purposes, the Rams selected former Georgia QB Stetson Bennett with the 128th overall pick in Round 4 of the 2023 NFL Draft. His relative value of 5.94 places him at a comparable value to that of Spencer Rattler this year.

Some draft analysts project as many as six quarterbacks will come off the board quickly in this draft. I am not convinced. Teams would love to create a feeding frenzy among quarterback-needy teams to trade up and pay premium value to select their quarterback. I believe that there is too much value at offensive tackle and with wide receivers this year to allow a lengthy run on quarterbacks in this draft.

IV: Rams will pick 3 defensive players by the end of Day 2

It makes entertaining and controversial reading to engage fans with suggestions that the team will trade up for a top-tier wide receiver, a franchise left offensive tackle, or an elite tight end. While there may be good reasons for targeting one or all of those positions in the 2024 NFL Draft, the investment only truly makes sense if this team believes that the team is just one player away from a Super Bowl Championship roster.

As of right now, either they are, or they aren't. One rookie selected early in Round 1 offers no guarantees of performance, has a relatively high price tag compared to colleagues selected in later rounds, and will still suffer the same rookie learning curve that ultimately impacts the first season of nearly all rookies.

The Rams need multiple high quality players on defense, quality that they will only find on the draft board among the Top 100 selections of this draft. While I cannot pinpoint which positions and how often the team will pick from those positions, I do believe that the Rams view the 2024 NFL Draft as a defensive draft, and will stack their draft board to land three defensive prospects by the end of Day 2.

III: One of Rams coveted players falls to them at 19th overall

The LA Rams may get nervous and will feel the itch on their trigger finger to pull off a nerve-wracking trade on draft day, but patience pays off in this one. If the Rams sit tight at the 19th overall pick, one of their top-tier targets will fall to them there.

The list of those prospects includes:

• WR Rome Odunze - Washington
• Edge Laiatu Latu - UCLA
• DT Byron Murphy II - Texas
• CB Quinyon Mitchell - Toledo
• QB Drake Maye - North Carolina
• OT Troy Fautanu - Washington
• Edge Chop Robinson - Penn State
• WR Bryan Thomas Jr. - LSU
• TE Brock Bowers - Georgia

The Rams will have options throughout this draft, and fans may not see the value of the prospects that this team chooses instantly. That's to be expected, as neither OLB Byron Young nor NT Kobie Turner were greeted by standing ovations in the 2023 NFL Draft.

I love the Rams positions in the 2024 NFL Draft, particularly in the first three rounds. The team is high enough to take advantage of any prospect who is falling on the draft board unexplainably. But the team is choosing late enough in each round to capitalize on the mistakes of other teams that may reach for prospects.

II: Rams will make at least two trades during the 2024 NFL Draft

The Rams have nearly a dozen draft picks in the 2024 NFL Draft, and seven of those picks fall on Day 3. While the success rate for the team at finding NFL star players late in the draft is historic fact (RB Kyren Williams in 2022, and WR Puka Nacua in 2023), the Rams may view seven picks on Day 3 as too many. And the gap that the team must sit through from the 99th overall pick to the 154th overall pick (55 selections) may be seen as too great of an absence from the action.

The team may opt to trade back early in this draft. But the team could also package later picks to move up as well. The two picks in Round 5 could be packaged together to land a pick in the middle of Round 4. A Round 5 and 6 pick could be packaged to climb into Round 4. The Rams will not hesitate to move up or down the board to land 'their guys.' But I am uncertain how readily other teams will be willing to trade.

The Rams will make at least two trades through the three-day draft event.

I: Rams enter with 11 picks, but will emerge with 9 prospects

In 2023, the LA Rams needed a larger volume of picks. but in 2024, the team has to balance volume with quality. That may require consolidating some of their picks to end in the right positions to add quality prospects. By the end of this draft, the Rams will have made just nine selections. While that may not seem too far out on a ledge, keep in mind that the team is willing to move back and forth throughout this draft like a well-choreographed dance step.

I trust the Rams to identify and make every effort to optimize the draft, which will mean having the willingness to move in whichever direction helps to build this team into its most competitive form.

Not every prospect will start in 2024. In fact, many won't. But the goal is not to land All-Pro players at all 22 starting positions, but rather to form a cohesive team that can win football games. The Rams will do that, but it will require a bit of maneuvering to do so.