LA Rams do something with rookies that no other team could do in 2023

Los Angeles Rams, Les Snead
Los Angeles Rams, Les Snead / Jayne Kamin-Oncea/GettyImages
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A year ago at this time, the tone of the LA Rams was pretty dismal. The LA Rams had just finished a very disappointing 2022 NFL season with a record of 5-12. The Rams had no picks in Round 1 of the 2023 NFL Draft. The Rams had almost no ability to spend money in the 2023 NFL Free Agency market. And the Rams roster was not feeling like a group of players that could turn it around quickly.

Worst of all, LA Rams HC Sean McVay needed time to be sure that he even wanted to return as the Rams head coach this past season. To punctuate the sentiment, he gave his entire coaching staff a carte blanche offer to explore any opportunities to coach elsewhere.

Some coaches took him up on it. Some players did as well, whether by their own decision, or shown the door by the Rams organization. Of any season with the LA Rams, that felt like an epic low point of Sean McVay and the Rams history. A nadir when any optimism seemed senseless. But, I forgot just how effective Rams GM Les Snead can be when the chips are down. Chips? Gambles? Yeah, it was all right in Snead's wheelhouse.

Snead's selections were nearly miraculous for Rams turnaround

The LA Rams, without the benefit of a Round 1 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, has placed four rookies among the PFWA's 2023 All-Rookie Team. They are: WR Puka Nacua, OG Steve Avila, OLB Byron Young, and NT Kobie Turner.

Three of the players selected were the first three players to hear their names called out in the 2023 NFL Draft by the LA Rams. The fourth, Puka Nacua, did not hear his name until late in Round 5, with the 177th overall pick.

We've been blown away by the LA Rams rookie class of 2023. Not only are they highly productive, but they play football with a passion. Best of all, this group seriously enjoys lining up alongside one another and having one another's back. This is a group that is already bursting with team chemistry. And it's just the start of a journey over the next three seasons as well.

The LA Rams are back in business, folks., And if you need proof, just check out the latest 2023 PFWA Awards for All-Rookie Team. The LA Rams have four players among those prestigious players. And something tells me that they will be joined by more players after the 2024 NFL season as well.

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