How much did LA Rams GM Les Snead accomplish in 2023 without a Round 1 pick?

When it comes down to LA Rams GM Les Snead, there are few surprises. He is a straight shooter, as far as he can be with the fact that he is entrusted with the blueprints of the team's annual offseason strategy. But he is also a risk-taker, a river-boat gambler that boards with enough to get a seat at the high rollers table, and emerge clutching a small fortune. And yet he is a patient man, a fine reader of men's minds, and hearts.

Since uniting with HC Sean McVay in 2017, he has helped build a true perennial powerhouse in the NFL. He has done so without first-round picks, a matter that many NFL analysts and pundits have scoffed at over time as myopic and foolish. And yet, the Rams kept on winning. Ultimately, when the strategy of trading picks for players began to be used by other NFL teams, and he found himself unable to parlay future picks for present day game-changers to add to the Rams roster, he regrouped once more.

Now, the team is proving to hold a mastery over the NFL Draft. If you fell asleep at the wheel, the LA Rams landed the two top rookie pass rushers in the 2023 NFL Draft, the NFL All-Time rookie record setter in terms of receivers, one of the most versatile rookie offensive linemen, a rookie punter who also holds kickoff duties for the team, an undrafted rookie long snapper, and a lot of fresh depth throughout the roster.

And he did all of that without a single pick in Round 1:

He did it without a first-round pick, yes. But he restocked the team's roster to the point where he doubled the number of wins in just one season. Not just via the draft. But he also hit big on rookies drafted the previous year in the 2022 NFL Draft, a draft in which the first pick was late in Round 3 atih the 104th overall pick.

In that 2022 NFL Draft, the Rams selected future contributors for the 2023 NFL season. The team added:

• DB Cobie Durant - 142nd overall, Round 4, pick 37
• RB Kyren Williams - 164th overall, Round 5, pick 21
• DB Quentin Lake - 211th overall. Round 6, pick 33
• DB Derion Kendrick - 212th overall, Round 6, pick 34
• DB Russ Yeast - 253rd overall, Round 7, pick 32

RB Kyren Williams would rush for 1,144 yards and 12 touchdowns in 12 games, good enough for third-best in the NFL, despite missing five games in 2023. And that was all out of the 2022 NFL Draft, a draft in which GM Les Snead held just eight picks, none of which fell within the Top 100 selections in that draft.

So let's review:

(1) The Rams landed several starters in the 2022 NFL Draft, despite:

• Holding just eight picks in that draft
• Not picking within the Top 100 selections
• Missing the first selection in that draft (IOL Logan Bruss)

(2) The Rams landed even more starters in the 2023 NFL who:

• One receiver set the NFL All Time Rookie Receiver Records for yards and receptions
• One outside linebacker sacked the quarterback more often than any other edge rookie
• One nose tackle led all rookies in sacks, tying Aaron Donald's rookie sack total
• One rooke IOL not only played every offensive down at LG, but moved to C
• One rookie punter also held kickoff duties for the team

And the team did all of that without a single pick in Round 1.

Now, here we are preparing for training camp for the 2024 NFL season. So what do we have to say about this rookie class?

(3) The Rams rookie class of 2024 may be the best ever because:

• The team has the equivalent of two rookies with Round 1 value (Verse, Fiske)
• This rookie class boasts four players added within the Top 100 selections
• As many as eight of 10 rookies selected project to hold significant roles for 2024
• Some regard Rams drafted kicker Joshua Karty as the best rookie to join the NFL over the past 5 to 10 years
• Even two rookies selected for OL, Beaux Limmer and K.T. Leveston, are talented prospects who could step up into a starting role if needed this season.

It's apparent that this team did very well in the 2023 NFL Draft. And if you step back and survey the team's 2024 NFL Draft, there is every indication that due to the location and draft profiles of rookies selected, that this could be the best of the bunch.

Yes, the team has a lot of ground to cover with reinforcements in 2024. But it's clear that we may have underestimated Snead's prowess at picking quality rookie prospect. He seemed to know what he was doing with a cork gun in 2022. He reinforced his aim with a pellet gun in 2023. Now he is firing real ammunition in the 2024 NFL Draft, and his aim appears to be as true as ever.

This could be the best draft class of GM Les Snead's career.

As always, thanks for reading.