Why Rams won't regret not prying 10th overall pick from Jets GM Joe Douglas

Top option:Texas DT Byron Murphy

If you follow the path of how the LA Rams followed through with their selection at the 19th overall pick, then you have to consider former Texas rookie defensive tackle Byron Murphy as a top candidate on the LA Rams draft board. Many draft analysts and scouts believed him to be the best interior defensive lineman in the 2024 NFL Draft.

The LA Rams defensive front was reeling long before the draft arrived. The Rams front office learned that All-Pro Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald had formally and finally decided to retire from the NFL. Complicating matters further, the Rams lost starting defensive end Jonah Williams to an expired rookie contract. That place the three-player defensive line down 1500 defense snaps, and the front office did not strengthen the group with any free agency signings.

So Texas DT Byron Murphy was linked to the Rams simply from the logic of best player to the team with the biggest need:

That logic carried some weight beyond the fit -> need connection. The Texas Longhorns boasted a pair or rough and tough defensive linemen in Murphy and his burly and powerful teammate, T'Vondre Sweat. Knowing after the fact that the front office was prepared to target two rookie prospects from the same collegiate defense, then Murphy would certainly have been in play at the 10th overall pick.

During the entire The Pick Is In film, the Rams tracked the progress of Murphy on the board, and HC Sean McVay openly displayed disappointment when the Seattle Seahawks selected him with the 16th overall pick. Had the Rams successfully traded to the 10th overall spot, selecting Murphy may have been a coup. But the team would have surrendered the opportunity to add both Jared Verse and Braden Fiske to this roster.

But let's explore some other options at 10.