Post OTAs analysis of LA Rams 2024 NFL Draft strategy with Les Snead

Day 3 sextet could be best bargains in this rookie class

What I love most about the team's drafts in recent years is the way that the front office seems to find that diamond in the rough on Day 3 of each NFL Draft. For recent examples, I point to RB Kyren Williams who was chosen on Day 3 of the 2022 NFL Draft, and WR Puka Nacua who was chosen on Day 3 of the 2022 NFL Draft. Both players led the Rams' offense in 2023.

How appropriate.

Of the ten selection made by the LA Rams in the 2024 NFL Draft, six of those selections fell on Day 3. One pick occurred in Round 5. Four picks occurred in Round 6. And finally, one pick occurred in Round 7. While the success rate of the average NFL team to find significant contributors on Day 3 is relatively not good, the Rams clearly seem to beat the odds, and there is every reason to believe that the team has done so this year as well.

We will address the projection of kicker Joshua Karty in a separate article because his upside is better than even many optimistic projections. Similarly, we won't dive too deeply into the likelihood of either IOL Beaux Limmer or OT K.T. Leveston in his article, because the chances of their contributing in 2024 rest almost exclusively on one of the team's projected starters falling to injury. While that is certainly a possibility, those circumstances are best discussed separately.

But we can cite three of the team's Day 3 selections here.

Let's begin with rookie WR Jordan Whittington. Many NFL teams scout for great receivers who they believe that they can teach other football fundamentals to: Blocking, route running, gaining yards after the catch. For the Rams scouting department, they focus on complete receivers, and believe that they can add proficiency to those players who are passionate about playing the position the right way.

Clearly the team believes that Whittington plays the receiver position the right way:

Whittington is already showcasing the passion and willingness to deliver whatever the offense needs from him. And when it comes to the LA Rams offense, there is not limit to what they ask of their wide receivers.

Statistics only tell part of a story, particularly for a player like Jordan Whittington. GM Les Snead, much like HC Sean McVay, goes beyond the statistics and combine measurables to grasp the whole player. It's that holistic overview that worked so well to identify BYU rookie WR Puka Nacua in 2023, and gives hope for another solid rookie in 2024 from Whittington.