LOS ANGELES -- The 2024 NFL draft began Thursday in Detroit and will wrap up on Saturday. The Los Angeles Rams are scheduled to make seven of the draft's 257 picks, beginning with the No. 19 selection of the first round on Thursday night.
ESPN will provide pick-by-pick analysis of each of the Rams' selections as they are made.
A look at each of L.A.'s scheduled selections:
Analysis of every pick | Updated depth chart
Round 1, No. 19: Jared Verse, DE, Florida State
My take: The Rams had a clear need on the defensive line after defensive tackle Aaron Donald retired. General manager Les Snead said adding to that area of the field would be a priority at some point in the draft, but Los Angeles addressed the need right away by making Verse their first first-round pick since 2016. Kobie Turner, who played nose tackle for the Rams last season, has enough versatility that it allowed the Rams to replace Donald's production elsewhere on the defensive line. Verse lined up almost exclusively on the defense's right side in 2023 at Florida State. According to ESPN Stats & Information, 86% of his defensive snaps came at either right defensive end or right outside linebacker.
Key stat: Donald led the Rams last season with 45 pressures, according to ESPN Stats & Info. The next-highest mark was rookie outside linebacker Byron Young, who had 35. Verse won't be expected to replace Donald's production on his own, but he did have 9.0 sacks in 2023, which ranked third in the ACC. He also had 50 pressures, which were the eighth-most in the FBS last season.
Is this pick for depth or does it fill a hole? This is a good match of a hole the Rams needed to fill and a player they had rated highly on their draft board. With 14 offensive players off the board to start the draft, only three defensive players had been taken when Los Angeles was on the clock at 19. Verse should make an immediate impact for a Rams team that has lost significant veteran defensive players in the last two years.
What's next: The Rams still have 10 picks remaining, including one in the second round (No. 52) and two in the third round (Nos. 83 and 99) on Saturday night. Los Angeles still has several needs on the defensive side of the ball, and could add talent in the secondary with a Day 2 pick.
Round 2, No. 39 (via CAR): Braden Fiske, DT, Florida State
My take: The Rams continue to add talent to their defense, taking a Florida State defensive player for the second day in a row. After Donald's retirement, the Rams clearly knew they needed to reload on the defensive side of the ball and they did that on Friday by sending a noteworthy return to the Panthers to trade up from the 52nd pick. This is the first time since 2003 the Rams have taken defensive players with each of their first two picks and Fiske is the first defensive tackle drafted by the Rams in the first two rounds since Donald in 2014.
Key stat: Over the last two seasons, Fiske has 11.5 sacks when lined up as defensive tackle, which is the second-most in the FBS over that span. He also created 11 sacks over the last two seasons when lined up as defensive tackle, which was tied for the most in FBS, according to ESPN Stats & Information. Donald had eight sacks last season in Los Angeles and led the team in pressures.
Ties to the team to know: Fiske was college teammates with Verse, the Rams' first pick. Verse arrived at the Rams' draft house in Hermosa Beach for his introductory press conference as Los Angeles was trading up for Fiske. Verse ran up the stairs to where the pick was being made and got to talk to Fiske. He said the pair had talked about how cool it would be to be NFL teammates and now that it has happened, it feels surreal.
Round 3: No. 99
Round 5: No. 154
Round 6: No. 196
Round 6: No. 209
Round 6: No. 213
Round 6: No. 217
Round 7: No. 254