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Things are looking good for the Los Angeles Rams in terms of early draft picks in the 2017 NFL Draft. As things stand, the Rams would be in line to receive the #6 overall pick in the draft with a chance to move up to 5th if the New York Jets were to win tonight over the visiting Indianapolis Colts.
Here’s the current top 20 among the non-playoff teams (were the playoffs to start today):
- Cleveland Browns (0-12)
- San Francisco 49ers (1-11)
- Jacksonville Jaguars (2-10)
- Chicago Bears (3-9)
- New York Jets (3-8)
- Los Angeles Rams (4-8)
- Carolina Panthers (4-8)
- Cincinnati Bengals (4-7-1)
- New Orleans Saints (5-7)
- San Diego Chargers (5-7)
- Philadelphia Eagles (5-7)
- Indianapolis Colts (5-6)
- Arizona Cardinals (5-6-1)
- Tennessee Titans (6-6)
- Buffalo Bills (6-6)
- Minnesota Vikings (6-6)
- Green Bay Packers (6-6)
- Washington Nice People (6-5-1)
- Miami Dolphins (7-5)
- Pittsburgh Steelers (7-5)
That would be a really top pick to send to the Tennessee Titans! Recent #5/#6 picks include Florida St. DB Jalen Ramsey, Notre Dame OT Ronnie Stanley, Iowa OL Brandon Scherff, USC DL Leonard Williams, Buffalo DE/OLB Khalil Mack, Texas A&M OT Jake Matthews, BYU DE/OLB Ezekiel Ansah and LSU DE/OLB Barkevious Mingo. That’s a great pick to really improve your team to trade to the Tennessee Titans!
Nonetheless, the Rams would have a nice stable of picks to add to their already competitive roster (this assumes the Rams receive a third-round compensatory pick for losing Janoris Jenkins in free agency which would then be traded to the Titans; if the Rams receive a comp pick later in the draft, we will have to give up our natural third-rounder):
| Round (Rd., Ovr.*) | Pick |
|---|---|
| 2 (7th, 43rd) | Rams pick |
| 3 (6th, 70th) | Rams pick |
| 4 (7th, 106th) | Rams pick |
| 5 (6th, 145th) | Rams pick |
| 6 (7th, 182nd) | Rams pick |
| 7 (6th, 226th) | Rams pick |
* - Overall projections beyond third round are based on general approximation of compensatory picks.
That’s a pretty sizable portfolio to be working with, even without a 1st-round pick and the likely late third that are off to Nashville.
Nonetheless, I’d expect Jeff Fisher and GM Les Snead to bring in quite a haul as they continue to build out a roster to meet their succesful on-field system.