Rams go from last to top 10 in ESPN's under-25 talent rankings

The best teams in the NFL are typically built through the draft. Despite the narrative that the Rams don’t care about the draft, given the blockbuster trades they’ve made involving first-round picks, they’re absolutely a team that builds through the draft.

In fact, their 2023 class is a big reason the Rams made the playoffs last season in a year when they were expected to be a bottom-10 team in the NFL.

Thanks to the selections of Puka Nacua, Steve Avila, Kobie Turner and Byron Young, the Rams are equipped with some of the best young talent in football. ESPN recognizes that and moved Los Angeles way up in its under-25 rankings for 2024, even though Turner doesn’t qualify because he’s already 25.

The Rams went from last in 2022 and 2023 to eighth on ESPN’s list this year, a dramatic improvement in young talent thanks to a couple of strong draft classes.

The Rams would have ranked dead last in 2023 for under-25 talent. Then they got outstanding contributions from lower-round rookies in 2023; our expectations are way up when it comes to the future values of Nacua and Young. Both players are still just 23, and Nacua in particular now looks like one of the top 10 young players in the NFL, setting rookie records in receptions (105) and receiving yards (1,486). Last year’s second-round pick, Avila, who will move from guard to center this season, had an 89.2% pass block win rate and allowed only two sacks in 1,094 snaps. The Rams also got a surprising second-year breakout from running back Kyren Williams. He ran for 1,144 yards on 228 carries.

Aaron Schatz, who constructed the under-25 rankings, also noted the Rams’ 2024 draft class as evidence of their young talent. That class is led by Florida State defenders Jared Verse and Braden Fiske, who are projected to be instant contributors up front.

In addition to Nacua, Avila, Young, Verse and Fiske, the Rams also have Bobby Brown III and Ernest Jones, who are both under 25 still. The defense may be relatively unproven without Aaron Donald rushing the passer, but there’s plenty of young talent on that side of the ball.