Head coach Sean McVay talked about the mental toughness of all ten players they selected.
“It’s all projections, but there was a resume and a body of work that all 10 of these players had, that there was a consensus, there was a consistent and really unanimous good vibes and feel from both his (Snead’s) group, from our coaching staff and ultimately our organization,” McVay said.
It was clear that defense was the Rams’ focal point, especially after losing Aaron Donald to retirement in mid-March. The first two picks set the tone as they went with two players from Florida State, Verse, and defensive tackle Braden Fiske.
Overall, the Rams selected five defensive players, including Kinchens from Miami at safety, Jackson at the edge from Washington State, and Davis, a defensive tackle from Clemson. The Donald hole is huge, and LA did its best to fill it as much as possible.
While the Rams’ running game was as good as it’s been in a while, they added Michigan’s Blake Corum, among the best running backs in the class. Corum will be the backup RB to Kyren Williams, as the two have the potential to do damage side by side.
Possibly the biggest addition for the Rams, which will go under the radar, is selecting Joshua Karty, a kicker from Stanford. The Rams missed an NFL-high 16 kicks in 2023, including six kicks between 40-49 yards and five extra points. The Brett Maher and Lucas Havrisik combination was the worst in the NFL. LA will now look to Karty for some stability.