The Rams' Biggest Need Heading into the NFL Draft

The Los Angeles Rams have vastly improved their team over the offseason, adding talent to both sides of the ball, but especially so on offense. The Rams appear fixated on giving Matthew Stafford and the offense as many weapons as possible to make a deep postseason run.

However, while the Rams were wise to stock up on offense, in a league that is driven by offenses, defense still wins championships. Defense is also what cost the Rams the most in their playoff loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. They must improve on that side of the ball in the draft.

Sterling Xie from Pro Football Network recently listed the most significant roster need of every team in the National Football League. Xie believes while the Rams have improved on offense, making zero changes to a inconsistent defensive backfield is not a recipe for success.

"The Los Angeles Rams were an offense-first team in 2024, despite some low-scoring wins late in the season. The Rams finished 11th in PFSN’s Offense+ metric but just 24th in defense, driven mostly by porous pass coverage. Los Angeles was 27th or worse in both EPA per dropback (-0.13) and success rate (53%) in coverage," Xie said.

"That makes cornerback a need after the Rams did not make any changes to their secondary in free agency. When identifying draft fits at the position, it’s worth noting Chris Shula’s scheme. The Rams played zone coverage at the third-highest rate (78%), with Cover 3 being their most common coverage (40%, sixth-highest)."

The fact that the Rams have not added to the defensive backfield yet, makes the idea of them doing so in the draft more plausible. Xie noted a few players that the Rams could target in the upcoming NFL Draft to help their defensive backfield.

"Texas’ Jahdae Barron comes from a similar coverage scheme and has the skill set that could fit into the Rams’ “Star” position, though he would require a first-round pick. Other mid-round corners who played in zone-heavy schemes include Louisville’s Quincy Riley, UTSA’s Zah Frazier, and Florida State’s Azareye’h Thomas," Xie said.

Los Angeles is on the verge of securing one of the best rosters in the league. Another productive draft haul would all but ensure the Rams start the season as one of the top teams in the NFL.