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2024 Mock Draft: Rams Break Trend, Finally Make First-Round Pick

ESPN has the Los Angeles Rams selecting Notre Dame offensive tackle Joe Alt in the first-round of the 2024 NFL Draft, breaking the team's streak of not making a pick in the opening frame.

The last time the Los Angeles Rams made a pick in the first round of the NFL Draft came in 2016, when things looked a little differently than they do now.

Barack Obama was the President of the United States. "Work," by Rihanna (ft. Drake), was the No. 1 song. Jeff Fisher was still coaching the Rams, while 30-year-old Sean McVay entered his third season as offensive coordinator of the Washington Commanders.

The 2023 NFL Draft came and went, extending the Rams' streak of years without a first-round selection to seven, though the No. 36 pick spent on interior offensive lineman Steve Avila wasn't far off.

For the most part, Los Angeles has traded its first-round picks for players, be it quarterback Matthew Stafford or cornerback Jalen Ramsey, for instance. The right to make the pick in 2016, which was now-Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff, came as a result of a trade-up that cost a future first-round selection.

There's also been times where the Rams simply moved out of the opening frame, like in 2019, when they traded down from No. 31 to No. 45 with the Atlanta Falcons.

But now, the end of the drought is in sight, with Los Angeles set to make its first-round pick in 2024, three days shy of the eight-year anniversary of its last.

Of course, it's far too early to tell who - and where - that pick could be ... but that won't stop some experts from trying.

In ESPN's latest 2024 mock draft, the Rams selected Notre Dame offensive tackle Joe Alt with the No. 12 overall pick, noting the team has "a lot of needs" even with a full season and free agency period to play out.

"Only two teams allowed more sacks than the Rams' 59 last season, and while Steve Avila (a 2022 second-round guard/center) will help, bringing in someone like Alt to team up with Joe Noteboom and Rob Havenstein would be smart.

"Alt is massive at 6-foot-7 and 317 pounds, and he "blew" just six total blocks (pass protecting and run blocking combined) across 866 snaps last season." - ESPN's Todd McShay

ESPN adds that quarterback talk could ensue around Los Angeles in the coming months, citing 35-year-old Matthew Stafford's age and injury-riddled 2022 season in which he played only nine games as primary factors to potentially cut ties, even with a hefty contract.

Still, the nod goes to Alt, a first-team AP All-American who's started 21 straight games at left tackle on a strong offensive line and instantly upgrades the protection for Stafford.

The 20-year-old Alt comes from strong NFL bloodlines; his father, John, starred as an offensive lineman at Iowa and was a first-round pick by the Kansas City Chiefs in 1984, later earning two Pro Bowl nods en route to a spot in the Chiefs Hall of Fame in 2002.

Should the Rams select Alt, it wouldn't be the first time for the namesake to be in Los Angeles, as his brother Mark played in the NHL with the Kings during the 2020-21 season.

But for now, it's merely a look-ahead ... although the idea of bringing in the big-bodied and statistically clean Alt is certainly a tantalizing idea.


You can follow Daniel Flick on Twitter @DFlickDraft

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