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 second-most in a single year since the draft went to the seven-round format in 1994, per NFL Research. Despite being without a first-rounder, it was a bountiful Day 2 and 3 for Los Angeles, which produced offensive lineman Steve Avila, linebacker Byron Young, defensive tackle Kobie Turnerand wide receiver Puka Nacua, among others.
This year, the Rams’ No. 19 pick is the first of 11 currently, which is tied for the most in the league with the Green Bay Packers and Arizona Cardinals.
The rebuilding blocks were put into place last season and are scheduled — for the first time since 2016 — to continue construction with a historic first-round selection upcoming.