Rams set to snap seven-year streak without first-round selection
Long after the pomp and circumstance of the 2024 NFL Draft's No. 1 overall pick has subsided, the Los Angeles Rams will make some history.
Slotted with the No. 19 overall pick, the Rams are slated to make a first-round selection for the first time since 2016. Should Los Angeles hold on to its first-rounder and make the pick April 25 in Detroit, it will snap the second-longest streak without an opening-round selection in the common draft era (since 1967), per NFL Research.
Heading into the '24 draft, the Rams have gone seven years without making a pick in the first round, tying Washington (1984-1990). The Washington franchise's run of 11 straight drafts without a first-rounder before that from 1969-1979 is the most in NFL history.
History aside, the Rams are underscoring a pivot in the franchise's roster building.
Gone are the days of general manager Les Snead's eff-the-picks approach, with head coach Sean McVay unbelievably set to make the first opening-round pick of his head coaching career.
McVay, who has been to (two) and won (one) more Super Bowls than he's made first-round choices, came on board ahead of the 2017 season, a year after quarterback Jared Goff was selected No. 1 overall by the Rams -- standing as the franchise's last opening-round selection.
Snead and the Rams' approach of trading away first-rounders proved fruitful with the club's Super Bowl LVI triumph. However, L.A. left the league hierarchy the ensuing season with a dismal 5-12 2022 showing thanks in large part to injuries to stalwarts Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp, Aaron Donald and others.
The Rams bounced back last year with a 10-7 season and a wild-card playoff berth.
It was buoyed by a league-high 14 draft picks in 2023, a number that's tied for the
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