The 2022 NFL Draft starts on Thursday, April 28. As a lead-up to the draft, we’ll be giving a team-by-team breakdown for positional needs. For each team, we’ll give an overview of the current depth chart and how big of a need each position is in the upcoming draft. You can find the rest of the team needs (as they’re updated) and the rest of our draft content in the 2022 NFL Draft hub.

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What Picks do the Los Angeles Rams have in 2022

The Los Angeles Rams have eight picks.

Round 3 (104)
Round 4 (142)
Round 5 (175)
Round 6 (211)
Round 6 (212)
Round 6 (218)
Round 7 (238)
Round 7 (253)

Los Angeles Rams Top POSITIONS OF NEED

  1. EDGE
  2. OL Depth
  3. CB

Los Angeles Rams Strength of Schedule, 2022

The Los Angeles Rams have the third hardest NFL strength of schedule for the 2022 NFL season.

2022 NFL strength of schedule ranked by team

Los Angeles Rams Offense

By Rich Hribar

QUARTERBACK

Matthew Stafford
Bryce Perkins
John Wolford

You couldn’t write a better script for Matthew Stafford in his first season with the Rams. 

Ending the season with a Super Bowl win, Stafford completed 67.2% of his passes for 8.1 yards per pass attempt, 4,886 yards, and 41 touchdowns in the regular season. 

Signed through 2026, Stafford will spend the rest of his career with the Rams. 

This backup situation could be stronger, but quarterback is at the bottom of team needs for the Rams. 

RUNNING BACK

Cam Akers
Darrell Henderson
Jake Funk
Xavier Jones
Raymond Calais
Javian Hawkins

The only blemish for the Rams is that they were 31st in the league in expected points added via rushing in 2021 (-56.3 EPA). The team ranked 25th in rushing yardage (1,683 yards), 4.0 yards per carry (26th), with 10 rushing scores (29th). 21.2% of their carries failed to gain yardage, which was the fourth-highest rate in the league. 

Cam Akers suffered a torn Achilles in July. That injury has been a scarlet letter for running backs, but Akers was able to pull off an improbable comeback returning to the field at the end of the season. Through his impressive comeback to get on the field, the results were not electric when back on the field. 

Akers rushed 72 times for 175 yards (2.4 YPC) while catching 11 passes for 86 yards over his five appearances. The Rams faced an onslaught of good defenses over that span while no back ran well for them. 

That said, Akers does have a wide range of outcomes. On one hand, seeing him immediately handle 27-of-30 backfield touches in the Divisional Round shows that the Rams do believe in his talent. With more time to get back up to full speed this offseason, he should be stronger in 2022.

On the other, we saw in the Super Bowl when Darrell Henderson was available that there is still potential for a timeshare to a degree and we do not have a great sample over the past two seasons of Akers and Henderson operating together at full capacity. 

Henderson is in the final year of his rookie contract, while Jake Funk is the only back signed beyond this season.

The Rams could add another veteran body here as they have a slew of younger, inexperienced backs shaping up the back of the depth chart. 

WIDE RECEIVER

Cooper Kupp
Allen Robinson
Van Jefferson
Tutu Atwell
Brandon Powell
Ben Skowronek
J.J. Koski
Landen Akers
Warren Jackson

Anchored by an incredible season from Cooper Kupp, Rams’ wideouts received 24.9 targets (second), caught 16.8 passes (first) for 233.2 yards (first) per game with a league-high 32 touchdown catches. 

Kupp caught 145-of-191 targets for 1,947 yards and 16 touchdowns, winning offensive player of the year.  The Rams still have him signed for the next two seasons. 

Trading Robert Woods while Odell Beckham remains unsigned recovering from an ACL injury in the Super Bowl, the Rams are missing 72 catches, 861 yards, and nine touchdowns from their receiver production from last season.

Looking to replace that production, the team added Allen Robinson

Van Jefferson increased his output and production up to a 50-802-6 line in his second season as the Rams were pressed to get him on the field more than initially planned with the release of DeSean Jackson and injury to Robert Woods.

It was clear that the Rams had a role for Jefferson this year as a vertical target in the offense, something he will carry clearing space for Kupp and Robinson. 

The depth here is suspect, as we saw exposed in the Super Bowl when Beckham was injured, but the Rams are going to add any more rookies here they will come on day three. 

TIGHT END

Tyler Higbee
Brycen Hopkins
Jacob Harris
Kendall Blanton
Kyle Markway

Tyler Higbee was third on the team with 85 targets in 2021, catching 61 passes for 560 yards and five touchdowns. 

Higbee is signed through 2023 to go along with Brycen Hopkins, Jacob Harris, and Kyle Markway. 

OFFENSIVE LINE

LT: Joe Noteboom/Chandler Brewer/Max Pircher
LG: David Edwards/Tremayne Anchrum
C: Brian Allen/Drake Jackson
RG: Coleman Shelton/Bobby Evans/Jeremiah Kolone
RT: Rob Havenstein/Alaric Jackson/Adrian Ealy

The Rams ended 2021 at the top of ESPN’s Pass Block Win Rate (68%) and 12th in Run Block Win Rate (71%). They also ranked first in collective pass blocking grade per Pro Football Focus while 10th in run blocking grade.

The Rams did lose two key contributors on that front this offseason, with Andrew Whitworth retiring and Austin Corbett leaving via free agency. 

They had Whitworth’s replacement in-house, retaining Joseph Noteboom on an extension through 2024. Noteboom only logged 133 pass blocking snaps in 2021, allowing just three pressures and one sack.

Right guard is still open for competition, with Coleman Shelton and Bobby Evans as options to replace Corbett. Shelton played 117 pass blocking snaps last year, allowing five pressures and zero sacks. Evans had just 39 pass blocking snaps, allowing three pressures and two sacks.

While The Rams have internal options to take the places of Whitworth and Corbett, that also depletes some of their viable depth at the position. They also have two starters in Rob Havenstein and David Edwards in the final season of their contracts. Depth on the offensive line is something they will add to with their limited draft capital.

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Los Angeles Rams Defense

By Dan Pizzuta

Interior Defensive Line

Aaron Donald
Greg Gaines
A’Shawn Robinson
Bobby Brown
Earnest Brown IV
Jonah Williams
Michael Hoecht

When Aaron Donald is in the middle of the defense, that makes a lot of things a whole lot easier. Donald was first among defensive tackles in ESPN’s Pass Rush Win Rate and he was third in pressure rate at the position last season, per SIS. Of course, the question now is how will Donald will be in the middle. He flirted with potential retirement after the Super Bowl, but he’ll return for 2022.

Both Greg Gaines (sixth) and A’Shawn Robinson (seventh) were among the best defensive tackles in Run Stop Win Rate. Gaines got more time in the lineup once Sebastian Joseph-Day was injured and that will continue now that Joseph-Day is with the Chargers. Gaines and Robinson are both in the final years of their contracts.

EDGE

Leonard Floyd
Terrell Lewis
Justin Hollins
Chris Garrett
Anthony Hines III

Leonard Floyd ranked 15th in pressure rate among edge rushers last season and much of his production came with Von Miller off the field. The Rams wanted to bring Miller back, but he signed his big deal with Buffalo. Floyd will now move back to the No. 1 pass rusher role.

Terrell Lewis (2020 third-round pick) and Justin Hollins (2019 fifth-round pick) can provide some juice when they’re on the field, but neither has taken on a full-time role as a pass rusher thus far in their careers.

This is a place where, either through the draft or post-draft free agency, something will be added to this group.

Off-ball Linebacker

Bobby Wagner
Ernest Jones
Travin Howard
Christian Rozeboom

Even if Bobby Wagner isn’t prime Bobby Wagner, he gives a huge boost over what the Rams had for most of the season last year. His presence will lessen some of the load on Ernest Jones, a third-round pick in 2021, who played well through the Rams’ playoff run. 

Both could also get some rest when the Rams go into more three-safety looks, which they also increased late in the playoffs.

This isn’t a position the Rams have typically valued highly and now with Wagner on board, there is little need to add to it, especially give the current draft capital available. 

Cornerback

Jalen Ramsey
Robert Rochell
David Long
Grant Haley
Kareem Orr
Tyler Hall

Jalen Ramsey, quite good at football. Ramsey was fourth among cornerbacks in Adjusted Yards allowed per coverage snap, which accounts for touchdowns and interceptions. Ramsey was both a shutdown outside corner and a stellar slot player, moving around to be closer to the ball.

David Long and Robert Rochell are currently slated to be the two other starters at corner. Both played well when they were on the field. Long ranked 32nd among 93 qualified corners in Adjusted Yards allowed per coverage snap, playing both outside and in the slot.

Rochell, a fourth-round pick last season, played well in limited snaps with some promising flashes. On just 137 coverage snaps, he had four passes defensed.

The Rams could use more depth here and this is also a position where starters (Rochell included) have been scouted and drafted in the middle and late rounds.

Safety

Jordan Fuller
Taylor Rapp
Terrell Burgess
Nick Scott
Anotoine Brooks Jr.
Jake Gervase

Few teams have developed safeties better than the Rams. Jordan Fuller took over as the playcalling safety in the middle of the defense through the regular season, before an injury forced him out of the playoffs. At full health, he’ll go back to that role.

Taylor Rapp started all 17 games and 95.8% of the defensive snaps. He played mostly deep but moved around into the box and slot — a necessity in the Rams’ defense. The former second-round pick is in the final year of his rookie deal.

With Fuller’s injury, Nick Scott broke out in the playoffs after playing 35% of the defensive snaps during the regular season. The Rams used three safeties in the playoffs with Scott, Rapp, and Eric Weddle, a personnel grouping they could use more in 2022.

Terrell Burgess (2020 third-round pick) hasn’t consistently broken into the defensive rotation but he’s been able to fill in when needed, which at least provides a passable floor at the position.

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