Final Rams Mock Draft: Defense dominates in this outstanding Rams draft haul

The LA Rams are about to do something that they haven't done since 2016. But with so much build-up and anticipation, will the experience of making a selection on Day 1 of the 2024 NFL Draft live up to the expectation? After all, it's just one draft pick with a myriad of players and positions to spend it on that there is bound to be a feeling of let-down among some fans, no matter who the Rams choose.

"With the 19th pick of the 2024 NFL Draft, the Los Angeles Rams select . . . "

This is it, the week you have all been waiting for. The LA Rams, and all 32 NFL teams for that matter, are about to change their trajectory for the 2024 NFL season. Choose wisely, and any NFL team could become a shocking Cinderella story as an unexpected participant in the 2025 NFL Playoffs. Choose unwisely, and the team could be set be several years in their hopes of competing in the postseason.

But no matter what happens to 32 teams, hundreds of players lives will be changed forever.

It's a magical time for the NFL and football fans everywhere. During draft week, every team's hopes and aspirations peak. This is the period of time for optimal optimism, a time when the next Super Bowl seems to be within reach of all NFL teams if they just make the right selection in the draft. And with so much coverage and praise on rookie prospects, who can think otherwise?

Still, keeping one foot on the ground at all times is most certainly advised for this time of year. Some fans will be elated at the players who are chosen, while others will be disappointed. But it's not what the players did in college football, nor our passionate pleas that will make or break a rookie's NFL career. It is an algorithm based on passion, fit, coachability, talent, mindset, and opportunity. The LA Rams had as many as five rookies from the 2023 NFL Draft who were arguably best-in-slot at their positions.

But that success enjoyed in 2023 is not normal. It was a testament to the due diligence exercised by the LA Rams scouting and personnel department that enabled the team to hit so many home runs in the draft without a first-round pick. Can the team replicate that success in 2023? Let's queue up our final 2024 Rams mock draft and find out: