In the wake of legendary defensive tackle Aaron Donald retiring, the Los Angeles Rams focused on the defensive line in the early rounds of the 2024 NFL Draft.
With their 19th overall pick, the Rams selected former Florida State defensive end Jared Verse. Last season, he made 9.0 sacks, 12.5 tackles for loss and one forced fumble.
His teammate defensive tackle Braden Fiske was acquired by the Rams in the second round. He made nine tackles for loss, 6.0 sacks and 43 tackles last season. Among the two third-round picks, the Rams chose Miami defensive back Kamren Kinchens. He led the Hurricanes in interceptions for two years in a row and is a two-time All-ACC First Team selectee.
In later rounds, the Rams added linebacker Brennan Jackson of Washington State and Clemson defensive lineman Tyler Davis. During his five years with the Cougars, Jackson made 74 total tackles, 34.5 tackles for loss, and 20 sacks.
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Davis is a four-time All-ACC selectee, the first Clemson defensive player to receive the honor four times. In his career, he made 144 total tackles and 29.5 tackles for loss.
“To be able to get two guys on the edge, two guys inside that we feel like can affect the game in a positive way, that was something that we had identified,” said Rams head coach Sean McVay. “Obviously [Donald] creates a big void. You’re never gonna ask somebody to replace that void he created but you can do that by the unit.”
Third-round pick and National champion running back Blake Corum was the first offensive player the Rams selected. His 134 rushing yards and two touchdowns in the CFP National Championship would earn him Offensive MVP honors.
Among their four sixth-round picks was Stanford kicker Joshua Karty who made 72 of his 73 extra-point attempts. He was named on the All-Pac 12 First Team.
“I do think we go in and we write down, I guess we call it “Dire needs.” One of them was kicker,” said Rams general manager Les Snead. “There is an element of strategy, monitoring that situation.”
The Rams acquired Texas wide receiver Jordan Whittington 213th overall. He started his career with the Longhorns as a running back but converted to wide receiver after the 2019 season. His 141 career catches places him 12th all-time in program history.
With their last two picks, the Rams selected offensive linemen Beaux Limmer and K.T. Leveston. Limmer played center for the Arkansas Razorbacks for 11 of 12 games last season. Leveston helped the Kansas State Wildcats to a 9-4 overall record and a 28-19 victory against NC State in the Pop-Tarts Bowl.
