Long after the pomp and circumstance of the 2024 NFL Draft's No. 1 overall pick has subsided, the Los Angeles Rams will make some history.
Slotted with the No. 19 overall pick, the Rams are slated to make a first-round selection for the first time since 2016. Should Los Angeles hold on to its first-rounder and make the pick April 25 in Detroit, it will snap the second-longest streak without an opening-round selection in the common draft era (since 1967), per NFL Research.
Heading into the '24 draft, the Rams have gone seven years without making a pick in the first round, tying Washington (1984-1990). The Washington franchise's run of 11 straight drafts without a first-rounder before that from 1969-1979 is the most in NFL history.
History aside, the Rams are underscoring a pivot in the franchise's roster building.
Gone are the days of general manager Les Snead's eff-the-picks approach, with head coach Sean McVay unbelievably set to make the first opening-round pick of his head coaching career.
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.
