As it currently stands, the Los Angeles Rams are set to have a first round pick in the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft at 19th overall. If they do keep the pick, it will be the first time since Sean McVay took over as head coach that the team makes a selection in the first round of the draft.
The question then becomes which direction the team chooses to go with their pick. After an extremely promising season in which they made the playoffs, the Rams are looking to build on that foundation and one prognosticator believes McVay is looking to fortify the offense with their draft pick.
In NFL.com’s Peter Schrager’s recently released mock draft, he basically guarantees McVay and the Rams will look towards the offensive side of the ball if they keep their draft pick, taking offensive tackle Tyler Guyton in this instance:
I’ll go on record with something of a guarantee here: If the Rams do not trade back, you better believe Sean McVay’s first-ever first-round selection will be an offensive player. Los Angeles shored up its interior O-line in free agency. Guyton — a bit of a project, but someone who can play either tackle spot — gives Matthew Stafford another promising young guy to protect him in his 16th NFL season.
While the Rams addressed the interior of their offensive line in free agency, adding another tackle wouldn’t be the worst idea. Improving the protection around Matthew Stafford is never a bad thing and Guyton is someone who could be a stalwart of the offensive line for years to come. Starting left tackle Alaric Jackson is on a one-year deal right now so this could be insurance in case he leaves next offseason.
But, of course, this is all assuming that McVay and general manager Les Snead choose to keep the pick. The Rams could easily choose to trade down and pick up a few more draft picks along the way if they don’t have a guy they want at the 19th overall selection and it would be very much in the wheelhouse of the Rams’ braintrust to make a few moves on draft day.
Rams among teams ‘sniffing around’ quarterbacks ahead of NFL Draft
Another route McVay and the Rams could look towards in the NFL Draft is at quarterback. Matthew Stafford is nearing the end of his career and backup Jimmy Garoppolo is no long-term solution. Apparently, the Rams are taking a look at this as well.
A recent report noted that the Rams are one of the teams ‘sniffing around’ the quarterbacks going into the NFL Draft, and if things fall right, the Rams could make a move on their quarterback of the future either where they stand, or by making a deal in the draft.
