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The Los Angeles Rams will be in a very unfamiliar spot when the 2024 NFL Draft begins. For the first time since 2016, the Rams will have a first-round pick, selecting at No. 19 overall. The question is, will they keep or trade down for more draft capital?
The Rams have about five positions where they need to either look at youth, depth, or both. Of course, the loss of defensive lineman Aaron Donald to retirement will now be an added point of emphasis for Sean McVay, although there aren’t easy replacements for the future Hall of Famer likely in this draft or in particular the Rams’ first-round pick.
Overall, the Rams have 11 total picks in the 2024 NFL Draft, with the ability to select in every round except for the fourth round. They have two third-round picks, two fifth-round picks, four sixth-round picks, and one seventh-round pick.
Looking at potential Rams sleeper prospects, we’re only going to be focusing on the first couple of picks here, especially the first and second-round picks as that’s where the team could really make some interesting choices. We’ll start, of course, with their first first-round pick in eight years.
Bo Nix, QB, Oregon, or Michael Penix Jr., QB, Washington
Can you really call either one of these picks sleeper prospects? That depends on who you ask, but in this case, we are considering both Bo Nix and Michael Penix Jr. sleeper picks for McVay and the Rams. That’s mainly due to Donald’s retirement and what seems like a dire need to replace him now.
The Rams could have their choice of maybe two or three highly ranked defensive linemen like Byron Murphy II out of Texas or Jer’Zhan Newton out of Illinois, and even Laiatu Latu out of UCLA. But McVay could look at this draft as his opportunity to find Matthew Stafford’s eventual replacement. That goes even with the Rams picking up Jimmy Garoppolo in free agency. Both Pac-12 quarterbacks could be sitting there waiting at 19 ready for the Rams to make what might be a bit of a sleeper pick.
Khyree Jackson, CB, Oregon
Like defensive linemen, highly touted cornerbacks could be available for the Rams in the first round, but should they choose that path either, they might still find a valuable one in the second round with the No. 52 overall pick in Oregon’s Khyree Jackson.
While Jackson needs to learn how to anticipate the routes of the receivers he’s facing better, his recovery speed is excellent, even if he does rely on it too much at times, per PFF. Cleaning these things up, and Jackson would be a nice sleeper that could possibly start for the Rams in 2024, helping improve their secondary and finished with a pass rush grade of 90.1.
Jonah Elliss, Edge, Utah
Sticking with a possible second-round selection, the Rams should target edge rusher Jonah Elliss out of Utah. Last season, he had a whopping 13 sacks, two quarterback hits, 24 hurries, and two passes defended.
His drawbacks are his length and strength, which is what probably keeps him out of the first round along with the other elite pass rushers, per PFF. But with his discipline and fundamentals, he could be a sleeper pick in this year’s draft class.
Again, there’s no easy replacement for Aaron Donald, but Elliss has the ability to possibly make an impact for the Rams in 2024.
More must-reads:
- J.J. Watt has interesting comments on possibility of playing in 2024
- Former All-Pro CB medically cleared for football activities
- The 'AP First-Team All-Pro tight ends' quiz
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