One of the first things to do after the Los Angeles Rams make a pick in the draft is check where that player ranked on pre-draft big boards. Did they get a steal compared to where the experts had a certain player ranked? Or did the Rams reach for a player who wasn’t positively viewed by analysts leading up to the draft?
In doing that with the Rams’ 2022 draft class, it doesn’t appear that they got a ton of value with many of their picks, particularly the late-round guys. We looked at four pre-draft big boards to compare how each player ranked before the draft to where the Rams drafted them.
Draft Wire: Top 300
Pro Football Focus: Top 250
CBS Sports: Top 300
The Athletic Consensus Board: Top 300
Wisconsin G Logan Bruss (Round 3, Pick 104)
Draft Wire: 143
Pro Football Focus: 111
The Athletic: 189
CBS Sports: 69
Bruss was drafted about where he should have been, especially with the Rams knowing he probably would not have been available had they waited until the fourth round at no. 142. CBS Sports was the highest on Bruss and he was selected at the site’s exact ranking position, though PFF wasn’t far behind.
South Carolina State CB Decobie Durant (Round 4, Pick 142)
Draft Wire: Unranked
Pro Football Focus: 246
The Athletic: 238
CBS Sports: 142
Durant was a sleeper in this class after attending South Carolina State, and the pre-draft rankings reflect that. Once again, CBS Sports was the highest on him and he, too, was selected at the same spot on the pre-draft rankings.
Notre Dame RB Kyren Williams (Round 5, Pick 164)
Draft Wire: 135
Pro Football Focus: 144
The Athletic: 129
CBS Sports: 205
Williams was seen as one of the better running backs in this class, ranking in the top 150 overall by three of the four big boards we looked at. He was taken 164th overall, so it’s not as if the Rams reached for him.