Division rival could become draft day ally if Rams seek trade up scenario

The LA Rams enter the 2024 NFL Draft with picks on Days 1 and 2 at 19, 52, 83, and finally, 99. While those are impressive picks that could all land bonafide starters for this team, do they guarantee a game-changing talent? Well, that will depend on who might fall to the LA Rams at those picks on draft day.

But the Rams are a bit . . . impatient right now. Having lost one weight-bearing wall, the front office has to be fully aware that time is running out with both starting quarterback Matthew Stafford and wide receiver Cooper Kupp. Time may be elapsing so quickly that the window to strike for another Super Bowl appearance may be limited to 2024 and perhaps 2025 for this team.

If so, then the time to strike is now.

If you share that opinion that the time to strike for this team is now, then the idea of waiting for rookies selected in the 2024 NFL Draft over the course of the next season or two is counterproductive. Even with an incredible draft class in 2023, the Rams sputtered out of the gates to a record of 3-6 before the stars aligned and the team got hot.

I'm not saying that no player can contribute right out of the gates. Clearly, the Rams were able to get instant production from the most unlikely of players, rookie wide receiver Puka Nacua who was selected in Round 5 with the 177th overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft. But that was by everyone's account an anomaly.

If the Rams perceive a drop off in quality of players, regardless of depth, then sitting back and playing the odds will not pay off quickly enough to become a factor in the 2024 NFL season. If there is a true 'he is elite,' perception for any prospect in the 2024 NFL Draft, particularly in Round 1, then this team must be prepared to trade up in the draft in order to select that player.

Who might that be? And how can the Rams get there?