10. Los Angeles Rams
The Los Angeles Rams followed the Seattle Seahawks’ “Super Bowl Roadmap” almost to a T. They added a rookie quarterback who was cost-controlled, found a way to make him productive, then loaded up around him to make a run by adding talent on the defensive side of the ball.
But that quarterback missed a few chances to connect on downfield throws in Super Bowl LIII, and now the Rams are left to, well…deal with the consequences of their own actions. Their current position with respect to the salary cap has hamstrung them, leading to decisions such as cutting Todd Gurley and waiting on a potential contract extension for Jalen Ramsey. They saw Cory Littleton, one of the league’s templates for a modern linebacker, walk in free agency, and speaking of Ramsey, their trade for him left them without a pick in this draft until the second round.
If the Rams end up hitting on their picks from Day Two of this draft, including running back Cam Akers, safety Terrell Burgess, tight end Brycen Hopkins and EDGE defender Terrell Lewis, they can perhaps turn things around quickly. And to be fair, they have some top end talent, such as Ramsey and Cooper Kupp and of course Aaron Donald, the destroyer of worlds. But given the decisions made in the past, they have left themselves with minimal room for error.