Barring a trade, the Los Angeles Rams will have a chance to draft one of their top 20 players in the 2024 NFL draft on Thursday night. Sitting at No. 19 overall in Round 1, the Rams are in a great position to land an impact player in the first round of the draft.
They’re working through various scenarios to determine who might be available at No. 19 overall, but it’s difficult to project who might still be on the board when Les Snead and Sean McVay have to make their pick.
ESPN used various mock drafts and player rankings to build its Draft Day Predictor, which projects 19 players’ chances of being available for the Rams at No. 19. Here are the 19 players with the best chance to be on the board for Los Angeles.
1
Michigan RB Blake Corum: 100% chance
It’s odd that Corum was even included by ESPN because there’s a 0% chance the Rams select him at No. 19, no matter what happens.
2
Texas WR Xavier Worthy: 100% chance
Worthy is the fastest player in combine history and while he could sneak into the first round, it’s unlikely the Rams will take him at No. 19.
3
Illinois DT Johnny Newton: 99% chance
This number feels way too high for a player of Newton’s caliber. There’s at least a 50% chance he gets picked in the top 20, so saying he has a 99% chance to be available at No. 19 is crazy.
4
Iowa DB Cooper DeJean: 98% chance
It seems teams are unsure of whether DeJean is a corner, nickel defender or safety, which could be hurting his draft stock. If he’s there at No. 19, the Rams may not take him, but he could be a good trade-down candidate.
5
Clemson CB Nate Wiggins: 96% chance
Wiggins is a speedy but slender cornerback with good coverage skills, but some might be concerned about his smaller frame.
6
Duke OL Graham Barton: 91% chance
Barton offers excellent versatility up front, mostly on the interior of the offensive line. But for the Rams, they’re much more likely to take a pure tackle in the first round.
7
Georgia OT Amarius Mims: 90% chance
Mims is a massive tackle prospect who played on the right side at Georgia, but some believe he could play left tackle in the NFL. He needs work but he could be a good option for the Rams.
8
Oregon QB Bo Nix: 83% chance
The Rams could use a franchise quarterback to take over for Matthew Stafford in a few years, but Nix may not be that guy. The expectation is that he’ll be available at No. 19, so we’ll find out whether the Rams like him or not.
9
Washington QB Michael Penix Jr.: 77% chance
It’s a similar story with Penix as with Nix. The Rams don’t need a quarterback right now, but if they love the Washington product’s ceiling, he could be in the mix in Round 1.
10
UCLA EDGE Laiatu Latu: 55% chance
Here’s where the first big drop-off happens. It goes from 77% for Penix to be available to only 55% for Latu to be on the board. This number would’ve been much higher a few months ago but his stock has been on the rise.
11
LSU WR Brian Thomas Jr.: 54% chance
Thomas is viewed as the fourth-best receiver in the class and if the top three all go early, Thomas could go in the first 15 picks. The Rams could target him with the 19th pick, though, or a potential trade up.
12
Texas DT Byron Murphy II: 45% chance
Based on mock drafts, it doesn’t seem like Murphy has even a 45% chance to be on the board at No. 19. He’s the top interior defensive lineman in the class and may go in the first 10-15 picks.
13
Washington OL Troy Fautanu: 42% chance
Fautanu played left tackle at Washington but he might move inside to guard, depending on which team drafts him. He’s likely to be a popular lineman for teams in the top 20.
14
Florida State EDGE Jared Verse: 30% chance
Verse could go as early as No. 8 or 9 if the Falcons or Bears like him better than Dallas Turner, so the Rams probably don’t have a great shot to grab him in the second half of Round 1.
15
Alabama OL J.C. Latham: 25% chance
It’s hard to know which order the top linemen will come off the board in because there are so many good ones, and Latham could be one of the first or second to be drafted.
16
Alabama CB Terrion Arnold: 19% chance
It’s between Arnold and Quinyon Mitchell to be the first cornerback drafted but both should be gone in the first 15 picks.
17
Penn State OT Olu Fashanu: 10% chance
Fashanu would be an ideal fit with the Rams as their future left tackle, but as evidenced by ESPN’s projection, he’s not likely to be on the board at 19.
18
Toledo CB Quinyon Mitchell: 8% chance
Before the Senior Bowl and combine, Mitchell was viewed as a possible target for the Rams at No. 19. Not anymore. He’s highly unlikely to be on the board unless there’s a major run on offensive players in the top 15.
19
Oregon State OT Taliese Fuaga: 6% chance
The last player listed by ESPN is Fuaga, an outstanding tackle prospect who the Rams would be lucky to select.
