The Los Angeles Rams’ drafting process is unlike any other in the league. As they have every year since 2021, they chose not to attend the scouting combine.
The Rams don’t see the value in attending the combine due to “efficient time management.”
Rams Are the Best in the Draft, and They Prove It Every Year
Apr 25, 2024; Detroit, MI, USA; A Los Angeles Rams logo at the 2024 NFL Draft at Campus Martius Park and Hart Plaza. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
How Rams Evaluate Players
The Rams believe the most important factor in evaluating players in the draft is game film. After the film review, the front office uses the Scouting Combine information to assess players in conjunction with its scouting department.
“We’re very intentional about how we use the combine,” Rams general manager Les Snead said in 2022. “Maybe we’re not there to see subset player, jump, or do his broad jump. But we certainly utilize the numbers as they come in.”
Snead has been the general manager since 2012, but his drafting success began in 2016 when he drafted Jared Goff and Tyler Higbee. From 2016 to 2021, he was more successful in free agency than in the draft, signing players like Andrew Whitworth, Robert Woods, and Jalen Ramsey. During the 2021 championship run, Snead even traded for Super Bowl 50 MVP Von Miller in the middle of the season, becoming a pivotal reason the Rams won.
Why the Rams Redirected Their Draft Style
The 2021 championship team that had hoisted the Lombardi trophy wasn’t built to last more than a season. Filled with many veterans who were late in their primes, Snead broke the team apart and restarted from scratch. After 2021, Snead and the front office have done less trading and acquiring and relied more on drafting and developing.
There was no Scouting Combine in 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, the Rams adjusted their scouting philosophy.
“There’s a lot of different ways of being able to get the information that’s necessary to make sound decisions as it relates to the draft and free agency, and there’s a lot of trust that I have in Les and his group to do that,” head coach Sean McVay continued.
Since 2021, the Rams have drafted players who have contributed either to their own roster or elsewhere in the league. Snead has done a great job drafting All-Pros, Pro Bowlers, and players who have contributed to the Rams’ recent success.
Rams Combine Intentions
The Rams and the Jaguars are the only two teams that don’t attend the NFL Scouting Combine regularly. While many teams don’t send their coaches, many send general managers or front office personnel to evaluate players. The Scouting Combine gives teams the ability to see just how good players are with their own eyes. The event also helps teams evaluate players based on their strengths. Not every player is exceptional, but if teams see a player with a specific skill, they can choose to select them later in the draft. It also allows players to demonstrate skills their team didn’t showcase to best use their talent.
In lieu of attending the combine, the Rams have done a great job of evaluating late-round talent the last few years, including drafting their superstar receiver, Puka Nacua, in the fifth round in the 2023 draft.
“At the end of the day, Les and I felt like our time would be best utilized staying back, being able to so some things and there’s a lot of layers to that,” McVay said.