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As you should expect, nobody’s mock draft was even close to right for the 2019 Rams
In 2019, the Los Angeles Rams were coming off of a Super Bowl ls to the New England Patriots and holding the 31st pick in the first round of the draft. The Rams had not made a first round pick since 2016, which is now a shorter period of time than the time between 2019 and 2024; L.A. hasn’t held a first round pick going into a draft in five years and they haven’t used a first round pick in eight years.
Mock drafts typically have the Rams staying at pick 19 and selecting a defensive player like Byron Murphy, Jared Verse, Chop Robinson, Johnny Newton, or Laiatu Latu. If 2024 is anything like 2019, then nobody’s mock draft picks for the Rams are close to correct.
That year, the Rams opted to trade down several times from 31, eventually choosing safety Taylor Rapp with the 61st overall pick. There was one person who came up in my search who even hinted at the Rams trading out of the first round. In fact, every single mock draft expected the Rams to either “fill their need on the offensive line” or “fill their need on the defensive line”.
Funny...nobody ever writes a mock draft like “I’m not going to blindly fill holes on the depth chart” and that’s probably part of the reason mock drafts get it so wrong.
Here are the mock draft picks of the L.A. Rams going into 2019.
Jenkins is another player who’s made his way into the first-round conversation. Teams love his strength and power inside. He can play any of the three interior positions.
This would have been a preferable move to Taylor Rapp. Jenkins went 44th overall to the Packers and he is a two-time Pro Bowler with the versatility to play guard and tackle at a high level.
The Rams want to trade out of this pick because they don’t have a second-round choice. If they move down five to 10 spots, perhaps they’ll be in a situation to select Greg “Mr. Reliable” Little, Erik McCoy or another offensive lineman. McCoy happens to be the best of the bunch.
McCoy went 48th overall and just made the Pro Bowl for the first time in 2023. By the way, the Rams decided their starting guards and center that year would be Joe Noteboom (a third round pick the previous year), Brian Allen (a fourth round pick the previous year), and Austin Blythe. The team would also turn to David Edwards, a fifth round rookie, and Austin Corbett, a player who they traded for a month into the 2019 season.
So while fans argue, “Oh no, the Rams MUST address these NEEDS in the first round”, are you paying any attention to how the Rams operate or no? That would...
