Draft History

This topic has 6 replies, 3 voices, and was last updated 1 month ago by wv.

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April 21, 2026 at 9:35 pm #163354

Zooey
Moderator

CBs has an article going right now about each team’s best draft class since 2000.

I did an LOL because there is no question that the 2023 draft class is the Ram’s best of the century, and would certainly be in the Top 10 of the entire NFL during that time span. But I was wrong. Way wrong. 2023 didn’t even make the Top 2 Rams drafts. The 2005 draft class was better, and so was Aaron Donald:

St. Louis/Los Angeles Rams: 2005
Rd Ov Player Pos
1 19 Alex Barron T
2 50 Ron Bartell DB
3 66 O.J. Atogwe DB
3 81 Richie Incognito G
4 117 Jerome Carter DB
4 134 Claude Terrell G
5 144 Jerome Collins TE
6 192 Dante Ridgeway WR
6 210 Reggie Hodges P
7 250 Ryan Fitzpatrick QB
7 251 Madison Hedgecock FB
You could certainly argue for the 2014 class based on three-time Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald alone, but taking offensive tackle Greg Robinson with the No. 2 overall pick and watching him bust is a significant ding to the class overall. The 2022 draft class that produced running back Kyren Williams and defensive backs Cobie Durant, Quentin Lake and Derion Kendrick could take this spot if they continue to excel in the coming years.

This 2005 class doesn’t have an Aaron Donald type of player, but it features a lot of depth up and down the board. The top four picks all started at least 75 games, with guard Richie Incognito being the best of the bunch with four Pro Bowls and 164 starts. Then you come to the seventh round, where the Rams took a quarterback in Ryan Fitzpatrick, who made 147 starts with nine different teams during a winding NFL career.

April 21, 2026 at 9:53 pm #163355

Zooey
Moderator

Of that 2005, none of those guys got paid, except maybe Fitzpatrick, but he was a QB. He wasn’t getting “big” money for the position, though.

4 or 5 of these guys are going to get paid.

April 21, 2026 at 11:23 pm #163356

zn
Moderator

Zooey wrote:

This 2005 class doesn’t have an Aaron Donald type of player, but it features a lot of depth up and down the board. The top four picks all started at least 75 games, with guard Richie Incognito being the best of the bunch with four Pro Bowls and 164 starts.

I discount 2005. It was a series of wrong-headed picks. Bad culture. Barron was never the kind of dedicated OL that the current regime would draft. We called him out constantly for not living up to his billing and being basically a half-hearted pro. Incognito was a head case. Bartell was okay but never stayed healthy. The first real pick in that bunch was Atogwe, though he only worked as a player in particular schemes. Terrel actually attacked the head coach verbally to his face (he said “fuck you” to Linehan on the practice field). Fitzpatrick was an effective #2 but never could get a starting gig anywhere.

The 2005 regime didn’t know how to pick players with the right football psychology, the way the current regime does. Granted Nacua and Verse can be immature, but they care about football and contribute to team culture.

…

April 23, 2026 at 3:05 pm #163367

Zooey
Moderator

zn wrote:

Zooey wrote:

This 2005 class doesn’t have an Aaron Donald type of player, but it features a lot of depth up and down the board. The top four picks all started at least 75 games, with guard Richie Incognito being the best of the bunch with four Pro Bowls and 164 starts.

I discount 2005. It was a series of wrong-headed picks. Bad culture. Barron was never the kind of dedicated OL that the current regime would draft. We called him out constantly for not living up to his billing and being basically a half-hearted pro. Incognito was a head case. Bartell was okay but never stayed healthy. The first real pick in that bunch was Atogwe, though he only worked as a player in particular schemes. Terrel actually attacked the head coach verbally to his face (he said “fuck you” to Linehan on the practice field). Fitzpatrick was an effective #2 but never could get a starting gig anywhere.

The 2005 regime didn’t know how to pick players with the right football psychology, the way the current regime does. Granted Nacua and Verse can be immature, but they care about football and contribute to team culture.

…

To me it isn’t even close. I don’t follow teams without the name “Rams” in them, but I would have to think the 2023 class is in the Top 10 of the century. That is a boatload of highly productive players.

April 26, 2026 at 4:51 pm #163649

wv
Participant

I guess its clear now that the Name-Image-Likeness (NIL) money has allowed kids to stay in college and so the later rounds of the draft just arent going to be as good anymore. Maybe no more Pukas in the 6th round, etc.

“last year rounds 6-7 wiped out because of NIL. This year rounds 4-7 wiped out because of NIL”

April 26, 2026 at 7:35 pm #163657

Zooey
Moderator

wv wrote:

I guess its clear now that the Name-Image-Likeness (NIL) money has allowed kids to stay in college and so the later rounds of the draft just arent going to be as good anymore. Maybe no more Pukas in the 6th round, etc.

“last year rounds 6-7 wiped out because of NIL. This year rounds 4-7 wiped out because of NIL”

Seems like that will create a tsunami of great players will hit next year. They can’t stay in college forever.

April 26, 2026 at 8:07 pm #163659

wv
Participant

Zooey wrote:

Seems like that will create a tsunami of great players will hit next year. They can’t stay in college forever.

I read that Ty made 800,000 at Alabama.

According to A.I.

“Miami offered Simpson approximately $6.5 million, with other schools like Tennessee and Ole Miss offering between $4–6.5 million to enter the transfer portal.

NFL Comparison: By entering the 2026 NFL draft, Simpson’s rookie contract with the Los Angeles Rams is projected to be around $25.4 million, with $4.6 million in the first year”

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