Biggest draft steals in Rams history

When it comes down to the history and legacy of the LA Rams, diving into the past is filled with stories of football heroics and incredible achievements. The Rams football team, in existence since 1937, has held significant chapters in Cleveland, Ohio, Los Angeles, California, Saint Louis, Missouri, and then back to Los Angeles California. At each interval, this team has enjoyed success, and has continued to draw fans from across the nation as the team has been one of the keystone franchises in the NFL.

Such a rich history cannot be sustained without a great track record of finding elite talent to replenish the ranks in the annual NFL Draft, and the Rams have had their share of draft steals along the way. The history of the Rams football team has been so abundant in terms of their draft proficiency that we believe it's time to revisit past drafts and identify who qualifies as the biggest draft steals in the history of the team.

But draft steal can mean different things to different people. To ensure that the list we are about to discuss is manageable, we are only going to consider players selected outside of the Top-10 selections in any draft. Why that cutoff?

Any player chosen among the Top 10 prospects in any given draft are presumed to be the best of the best, and their NFL careers, while incredibly productive, simply are not 'steals' per se. So let's take a look at those promising players who met or exceeded expectations in Rams history:

Honorable mentions

As you can tell by the list below, the Rams have found ways to make their Top 10 picks count:

• RB Eric Dickerson, 1st Round, 2nd overall in 1983
• DT Merlin Olsen. 1st Round, 3rd overall in 1962
• QB Roman Gabriel, 1st Round, 2nd overall in 1962
• G Tom Macks, 1st Round, 2nd overall in 1966
• WR Elroy 'Crazy Legs' Hirsch, 1st Round, 5th overall in 1945
• RB Jerome Bettis, 1st round, 10th overall in 1993
• WR Torry Holt, 1st round, 6th overall in 1999
• OT Orlando Pace, 1st Round, 1st overall in 1997
• QB Jared Goff, 1st Round, 1st overall in 2016

It's particularly noteworthy to point out that the Rams held the second and third overall picks in the 1962 NFL Draft, and made them both count by selecting QB Roman Gabriel and then NFL Hall of Famer defensive tackle Merlin Olsen.

Even as we line up the biggest draft steals of Rams history, we have one more group to discuss who didn't make the cutoff: