5 sensational selections that the Rams made in 2024 NFL Draft

II: Double dipping at DL and OLB

The strategy for the LA Rams to reinforce the defense was not lost on draft analysts. Time and time again, I have read that the front office tactic to refit the defense after Aaron Donald's retirement is to toss rookies at the problem and see which one sticks. That is, of the four rookies added to the team's defensive front in the 2024 NFL Draft, which of the group with have Byron Young or Kobie Turner-like rookie seasons?

For the Rams front office, the hope is that they all do.

But the belief is that somewhere amidst the performances of OLBs Jared Verse and Brennan Jackson, and DL Braden Fiske and Tyler Davis, the Rams can compensate for the loss of Donald for 2024. That's a solid strategy, especially when you factor in the return of rookie OLB Byron Young (8.0 sacks) and NT Kobie Turner (9.0 sacks).

Like any NFL draft, even the most scientific approach with layers of analysis and numerous vetting phases cannot guarantee the success of a rookie in the NFL. All that can be hoped for is to use a defendable and objective selection process that allows corrective actions to improve the methods going forward. One a player is drafted, the coaching staff must be focused, well-versed, and communicative.

The Rams seemed to have a great deal of success in 2023 at developing young talent, particularly on defense. Hopefully, that same process can yield similar results in 2024. After all, we know that this defense has as many as seven or eight starting positions up for grabs. As of now, I believe that the only sure-fire starters on the defensive side of the football who are returning from 2023 are ILB Ernest Jones, OLB Byron Young, and NT Kobie Turner (albeit he is likely to slide into the 3-tech role vacated by Aaron Donald's retirement).

Even as the team signed veterans to fill starting roles in the secondary, competition will be heated for rotational roles this year.