What will the LA Rams do with the 19th overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft?

While it is true that the LA Rams have not used a pick in Round 1 since the 2016 NFL Draft, it is unfair to claim that the team has never held a pick on Day 1 when entering the annual three-day draft event. The team did hold the 31st overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft but traded their first and seventh-round picks to the Atlanta Falcons for picks in Rounds 2 and 3, ultimately resulting in the team selecting University of Washington safety Taylor Rapp with the 52nd overall pick in Round 2.

Those who still recall that draft are not eager for history to repeat itself.

Still, this is a new year, and the team has the 19th overall pick, not the 31st overall pick. That alone creates a completely new set of reasons to consider trading back this year. But flirting with the strategy to do so and the actual practice of doing so are two entirely different things.

Purely from the probability standpoint, more picks are inherently better than fewer picks. On the other hand, hitting a 'pro bowl' caliber rookie prospect is at an advantage the sooner that pick is made. This is a Rams roster that has filled many of the glaring needs from the past. Therefore, there is no longer as great of an opportunity for any given rookie to start for the team this season.

Still, we cannot view this roster as homogenous. While rookies Puka Nacua, Bryon Young, Steve Avila, and Byron Young not only started and played exceptionally well last year, the team did not get that level of production from all rookes. Not even some veterans were able to deliver at that level.

So there are clear and definitive needs on the team for new competition. So the question that we pose in this article is: What is the best strategy to address the team's needs in 2024 with the 19th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft?