Hitting on draft picks in the NFL is incredibly difficult. The Los Angeles Rams have nailed many of theirs over the years, including Aaron Donald, Cooper Kupp, Todd Gurley and Rob Havenstein, but they’ve also had some misses – as every team has.
With rookies signing four-year contracts, they oftentimes leave the team that drafted them when their contract expires. That’s been the case for the Rams’ first three draft classes under Sean McVay, which span from 2017-2019.
For one reason or another, the Rams haven’t kept many of the players from those draft classes, primarily choosing not to re-sign them due to underperformance or cutting them outright before their deals expired.
Looking back at those three classes, only four players are still under contract with the Rams.
2017
Cooper Kupp, 3rd round
2018
Joe Noteboom, 3rd round
Brian Allen, 4th round
2019
None
It’s shocking that the entire 2019 draft class is gone, with the slim possibility that the Rams re-sign Taylor Rapp. Nick Scott, Greg Gaines, David Long Jr. and David Edwards all signed with new teams this offseason, while Dakota Allen, Darrell Henderson Jr. and Bobby Evans were all cut previously.
From the 2018 class, only Noteboom and Allen received extensions with the Rams. John Franklin-Myers and Micah Kiser were cut, as were John Kelly and Jamil Demby. Trevon Young and Justin Lawler didn’t make it four years, either. Ogbonnia Okoronkwo and Sebastian Joseph-Day left in free agency last year, while Travin Howard is a free agent this year.
The 2017 class was strong, but the Rams only retained Kupp. Gerald Everett, John Johnson, Josh Reynolds and Samson Ebukam all landed free-agent deals elsewhere two years ago. Sam Rogers and Ejuan Price were cut before their deals expired.
The Rams still have 19 players on the roster from their last three classes, and those players will be expected to step up at some point in 2023. For a roster that’s undergoing a rebuild, younger players will need to take on bigger roles.
[lawrence-auto-related count=3]