The Los Angeles Rams draft class is officially finished, adding 10 new players to their roster.
Looking at draft grades from major media members after the draft, the Rams received extremely high marks from experts. The Rams didn’t score anything lower than a B-, producing a promising draft class. Compiling their grades across major media sites showed that the Rams finished with a top-10 draft class according to draft grades
🏈🧑🏻🎓 I´ve compiled 20 evaluations of the 2024 NFL draft and totaled the team grades.
— René Bugner (@RNBWCV) April 28, 2024
Here is the spreadsheet. Sorted by GPA for all 32 teams.
I also sorted the 20 evaluations by GPA. From left (soft graders) to right (hard graders).
Thanks to all who give out grades every year! pic.twitter.com/53EozhxKQT
Take a look at their grades from various experts below.
Rams draft grades
NFL.com
The Rams started out with a grade of A on Day 1 fromNFL.com for the Jared Verse selection, but received lower and lower scores as the week went on, earning a B+ on Day 2 and B- on Day 3.
The run on offensive players in Round 1 allowed the Rams to land a bargain edge rusher (which they really needed) in Verse, their first first-round pick since 2016. Fiske will help make up for the loss of Aaron Donald to retirement, but we’ll have to see if it made sense to trade a 2025 second-rounder to acquire him instead of gettingMichael Hallat their original pick (No. 52; he went to the Browns 54th overall). Corum will play bigger and faster than his numbers indicate, and Kinchens is a downhill player at a soft spot for the Rams.
ESPN
The Rams earned a B+ grade from Mel Kiper Jr.. Their class would have been an A- if not for the high cost to trade up for Braden Fiske, a 2025 second-rounder and the 155th overall pick.
Man, I want to give this class an A- because of the bevy of talented players, but I have to knock it down a tier because Snead gave up his second-rounder next year for Fiske.
Sporting News
Sporting News ranked the Rams’ class as the 11th-best with a grade of A-.
The Rams, finally back in the first round under GM Les Snead, would have been “B” just on the strength of taking Verse and Fiske from the same Florida State defense back-to-back to help new coordinator Chris Shula. Those were the high-priority positions, and safety was also addressed. Corum adds the right change-of-backup to Kyren Williams for Sean McVay.
The Ringer
One of the lowest grades given to the Rams was by The Ringer, which only saw it as a B-, citing the cost of the move up for Braden Fiske.
THE RAMS WASTED NO TIME IN BUTTRESSING A DEFENSIVE FRONT THAT JUST LOST A FUTURE HALL OF FAMER IN AARON DONALD,grabbing a pair of Florida State teammates—pass rusher Jared Verse in the first round and defensive tackle Braden Fiske in the second. The Rams paid a heavy cost to move up for Fiske, surrendering a 2025 second-rounder to do so, but with Matthew Stafford and Cooper Kupp both getting long in the tooth, this team has no time to waste. I thought the third-round selection of Michigan running back (and Kyren Williams clone) Blake Corum made sense, giving Sean McVay another heady, three-down running back who can take some of the workload off of Williams in 2024. Safety Kamren Kinchens brings ball-hawking skills and the intimidation factor to the safety position, giving L.A. nice depth at safety.
Bleacher Report
Bleacher Report gave the Rams an A for their 10 selections and cited Les Snead's ability to find starters on Day 3 of the draft.
Given the recent draft history of Les Snead and the Rams, L.A. probably uncovered a legitimate contributor or two on Day 3. For example,Brennan Jacksonhas the physical tools to become a noteworthy player as a situational edge-rusher. Joshua Karty could become L.A.’s kicker of the future.
The story of this Rams class, however, will involve Snead’s first four selections. Each of them is a terrific fit for what Los Angeles does schematically, and all of them can improve the roster right away.
For a team that exceeded expectations last season and returned to playoff contention, it’s impossible to dislike what the Rams did throughout draft weekend.
USA Today
Nate Davis of USA TODAY Sports ranked the Rams’ class as the seventh-best in the league, giving them an A- grade.
They drafted in Round 1 for the first time in eight years, which kicked off a run that seemed to bring four immediate contributors in the first three rounds:Edge rusher Jared Verse(Round 1), DT Braden Fiske (Round 2) – the former Florida State teammates thrilled to transfer once again and reunite ahead of their collective task to replaceretired DL Aaron Donald– before Michigan RB Blake Corum and Miami (Fla.) S Kamren Kinchens landed in Round 3. The loss of Donald is massive figuratively and literally, but it feels like a team that’s turned over so extensively since its Super Bowl 56 triumph remains firmly on the upswing.
Pro Football Focus
PFF gave the Rams a B+ overall for their draft class. Here's what they had to say about Miami safety Kamren Kinchens:
Kinchens’ 11 interceptions since 2022 are the most at the position. Kinchens is a well-rounded athlete with good awareness and instincts at the safety position. While he’s on the lighter and smaller side, Kinchens’ ball skills enable him to profile well to a deep free safety role in the NFL. His 90.0 grade in 2022 ranked fifth in all of college football.
