Ranking the Rams' Last 10 Draft Classes

10. 2020

Best Pick: S Jordan Fuller

Worst Pick: RB Cam Akers

In 2020, the Rams were looking to replace Todd Gurley after trading him to the Atlanta Falcons. Akers had a strong run at the end of the 2020 season and playoffs. He was the first rookie in franchise history with 100 or more rushing yards in a playoff game. However, Akers suffered a torn Achilles the following offseason and was never the same. He nearly cost the Rams a trip to the Super Bowl, fumbling twice against the Buccaneers. Jalen Hurts was the pick directly after Akers while JK Dobbins went four picks later. 

9. 2018

Best Pick: DT Sebastian Joseph-Day

Worst Pick: OT Joseph Noteboom

When the Rams took Joseph Noteboom, it was with the idea that he would take over at left tackle for Andrew Whitworth. Noteboom could rarely stay healthy and when he played for any significant stretch, it wasn’t good. Sebastian Joseph-Day is in the long list of Les Snead hits in the sixth round. The Rams cut their actual best pick. Despite having a strip-sack in the Super Bowl, the Rams cut John Franklin-Myers the next summer. That’s the same Franklin-Myers who signed a three-year, $63 million contract this offseason as one of the premier free agents. 

8. 2016

Best Pick: TE Tyler Higbee

Worst Pick: LB Josh Forrest

This was the final draft class with Jeff Fisher as the head coach. The Rams traded up for Jared Goff only to move on from him in 2021. Goff’s development was in a different place than the rest of the roster. It’s hard to call a sixth-round pick bad, but Forrest only lasted one year on the team.

7. 2021

Best Pick: Ernest Jones

Worst Pick: Tutu Atwell

It will be quite a while before Rams fans forget that the team selected Tutu Atwell right before Creed Humphrey while having a need at center. Atwell never found a consistent role in the offense and the front office doubled down on the mistake last offseason by paying him $10 million fully guaranteed. While the Rams traded away Ernest Jones, he played a key role in the Super Bowl run. 

6. 2019

Best Pick: David Edwards

Worst Pick: Bobby Evans

The 2018-2020 stretch was not a good one for Snead. While the Rams had some hits in this class with Taylor Rapp, Greg Gaines, David Edwards, and Nick Scott, the misses are more remembered. Bobby Evans was another depth tackle that simply didn’t work out and David Long was taken 15 picks before Jamel Dean. Rapp, Gaines, and Scott were fine, but low-impact players. For a fifth-round pick, Edwards stepped in at left guard and performed admirably. Players like Henderson, Long, and Scott at least played a key role in the Super Bowl win. 

5. 2025

Best Pick: EDGE Josaiah Stewart

Worst Pick: LB Chris Paul Jr.

After just one season, it’s impossible to grade a draft class, but right in the middle feels about right. Josaiah Stewart performed well in a rotational role last season and Terrance Ferguson showed potential. Outside of that, this class left a lot to be desired. Jarquez Hunter barely played and Ty Hamilton looked overmatched at times. It’s never a good sign when a draft pick is part of roster cuts and that was the case with Chris Paul Jr. Paul was seen as a draft steal and it’s hard to fault the Rams for their process. However, the fifth-round pick was outperformed by undrafted free agent Shaun Dolac.

4. 2022

Best Pick: RB Kyren Williams

Worst Pick: OL Logan Bruss

This class didn’t start well with the selection of Logan Bruss. The Rams took Bruss as the replacement for Austin Corbett at guard. However, Bruss, a tackle at Wisconsin, didn’t transition to guard as well as the Rams hoped and could never find his form after tearing his ACL in his second preseason game. Still, the Rams did well in this class. In a span of three picks, the Rams took Cobie Durant, Kyren Williams, and Quentin Lake. Williams and Lake just signed extensions. 

3. 2017

Best Pick: WR Cooper Kupp

Worst Pick: FB Sam Rogers

The 2017 draft class started it all for Sean McVay. Tight end Gerald Everett was the first pick in the McVay era, and is most known for his game-winning catch in 2018 against the Kansas City Chiefs. However, the best pick here was Cooper Kupp. With Kupp, the Rams ended up drafting a future triple-crown winner and Super Bowl MVP. 

2. 2024

Best Pick: EDGE Jared Verse

Worst Pick: EDGE Brennan Jackson

Jared Verse headlines what was a great 2024 draft class. Verse won the Defensive Rookie of the Year and looks to be one of the premier edge rushers in the NFL. His teammate, Braden Fiske, was taken in the second round. Blake Corum has shown his value and Kam Kinchens continues to develop. 

1. 2023

Best Pick: WR Puka Nacua

Worst Pick: EDGE Ochaun Mathis

This class that Les Snead put together deserves so much credit. After tearing down the roster in 2022, many were already writing about the demise of the Rams and how they were in for a multi-year rebuild. Snead had 14 picks in this class and the first eight included Steve Avila, Byron Young, Kobie Turner, Warren McClendon, and Puka Nacua. All five of those players started on the 2025 team. Nacua is clearly the best of the bunch as a top-three wide receiver in the NFL. The 2023 Rams draft class is single-handedly responsible for the Rams’ turnaround.

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