It’s been a long time, but the Rams have actually picked in the first round before. The last selection they made in Round 1 was Jared Goff, who they traded up for and drafted No. 1 overall in 2016. Since then, they’ve never picked earlier than 44th overall.
Dating back to 1990, the Rams have had their share of hits and misses in the first round. Aaron Donald and Todd Gurley were two great picks by the Rams, while Greg Robinson and Lawrence Phillips come to mind as draft busts.
We ranked the team’s nine worst first-round picks since 1990, though some of these selections were much worse than others.
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Even with the lengthy career Austin has had, he wasn’t worth the eighth overall pick in 2013. That’s what landed him on this list. He had at least 300 yards from scrimmage in each of his five years with the Rams and was a dynamic punt returner with three touchdown returns in his first three seasons, but he didn’t turn into the electric offensive weapon he was supposed to become.
He never had more than 500 yards receiving but he did have an impact as a ball carrier, too.
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Thomas didn’t get to play out his rookie contract with the Rams, getting traded to the Packers before the 2005 season. In three seasons with St. Louis, he made 30 starts, had 164 tackles and two sacks, so he was at least a contributor on defense.
Being the 31st overall pick lessens the pain of Thomas not panning out completely, but teams still expect more out of their first-round picks.
Carriker was decent as a rookie, starting all 16 games. However, he only had two sacks and 32 tackles. He only started nine of the 15 games he played in 2008 and in 2009, he suffered a preseason shoulder injury that sidelined him for the entire season. The Rams traded him to Washington in 2010 where he played three seasons and made 33 starts, but injuries ended his career prematurely.
He shouldn’t be considered a draft bust, but he didn’t help the Rams much after being drafted 13th overall.
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Canidate was another player traded by the Rams before playing out his rookie contract. He was oddly drafted in the first round despite Marshall Faulk still being the lead back, and as a result, his role was limited for his three seasons in St. Louis. He started three games, had just 495 yards rushing in three seasons and only…
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