Rams are getting the last laugh after not having a first round pick since 2016

In case you haven't heard, the Los Angeles Rams are set to make their first pick in the first round of an NFL Draft since 2016. That was the year that the Rams moved from St. Louis to Los Angeles and moved up to the first overall pick to make a splash in their first year back in LA.

The Rams spent that number one pick on Jared Goff and no one knew at the time that it'd be another eight years before the franchise had a selection in the first round again.

Some might want to dunk on the Rams for not making a first-round pick in nearly a decade but as Rams fans are well-aware of, the team has been one of the best in the NFL during that timeframe.

Rams have been a premier franchise since last first-round pick

As Joe Dolan notes in the post above, since the Rams spent the first overall pick on Goff, they've made it to the playoffs five times and won seven playoff games. More importantly, they've reached the Super Bowl twice and won one of those championships, which came as recently as the 2021 season (Super Bowl LVI).

Even teams who have had a first-round draft choice every year in the last eight years haven't had the kind of success that the Rams have had. Would those teams give up all of those first-round draft picks to go on the run that the Rams have? More than likely, they would.

This proves that first-round picks don't always translate to success. The Rams have made aggressive trades during this eight-year stretch and it's paid off. They've made it to where every team wants to be on two separate occasions and have been the world champions one time.

So laugh at the Rams for not making a first-round pick in nearly a decade but understand that it's worked out for them at the end of the day. Not so funny now, is it?