NFL Draft Betting: Which Position Will the Rams Address With Their First Pick in 2024?

The Los Angeles Rams exceeded expectations in 2023 by recording a 10-7 record before losing to the Detroit Lions in the Wild Card Round. The success the team experienced a season ago was in large part due to a rookie draft class that featured Steve Avila, Byron Young, Kobie Turner, and Puka Nacua.

After having a rookie group that made an immediate impact last season, how will the Rams follow that up in the 2024 NFL Draft? At the moment, the Rams possess the 19th overall pick in the first round, giving them their first Round 1 pick since they took Jared Goff with the No. 1 pick in 2016.

FanDuel Sportsbook is offering an endless number of markets in the NFL Draft odds section. Among them, we can wager on what position the Rams -- and other teams -- will use their first selection in the draft on.

Let's take a look at the odds for what position the Rams could use their first draft pick on and which positions make the most sense.

NFL Draft Odds

Defensive Lineman/Edge (-150)

The biggest news this offseason for the Rams was undoubtedly the retirement of superstar Aaron Donald. Donald was an eight-time All-Pro and three-time Defensive Player of the Year who has an argument of being the best defensive player to ever suit up in the NFL.

While Kobie Turner flashed potential as a rookie in 2023 with nine sacks and eight tackles for loss, there is a massive void left behind by Donald's departure. Given that, defensive line or edge rusher has the shortest odds (-150) to be the position the Rams use their first draft pick on.

With many expecting the Rams to focus on replacing Donald, Byron Murphy out of Texas has become a popular player mocked to Los Angeles. Murphy has the fifth-shortest odds to be the First Defensive Player Drafted (+1500).

Despite Young having a productive rookie campaign, the Rams desperately need to address the edge rusher position. Even with Donald wreaking havoc in the interior and often commanding double teams, Los Angeles finished with the 10th-lowest sack rate (6.2%) a season ago, via NextGenStats.

The Rams would surely love for one of Dallas Turner or Jared Verse to fall to pick No. 19, but that seems highly unlikely, but there's always a chance LA could trade up for one of them. Another edge rusher to keep an eye on for the Rams ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft is Laiatu Latu out of UCLA.

Offensive Lineman (+340)

Upon bringing in Mike LaFleur as their offensive coordinator before the 2023 campaign, Sean McVay and the Rams drastically changed how they wanted to build the offensive line. By taking Avila in the second round of last year's draft and trading for Kevin Dotson, the Rams made it clear they wanted a more physical trench unit.

On top of that, the Rams signed Jonah Jackson to a three-year, $51 million deal in the offseason to continue bolstering their offensive line and allow Avila to move to center. While Los Angeles continues to add pieces up front, there is a possibility of them taking another cornerstone piece in the first round.

This year's class of offensive tackles is expected to be an extremely talented one with Joe Alt and Taliese Fuaga leading the pack. The more realistic options at No. 19 if the Rams wanted to improve at left tackle -- or get the eventual replacement for veteran Rob Havenstein -- are J.C. Latham, Amarius Mims, or Troy Fautanu.

If one of those names are available when the Rams are on the clock, McVay may consider making sure the team has a deep offensive line group to keep Matthew Stafford upright.

Cornerback (+600)

Since the start of the new league year, the Rams have addressed their secondary by signing Kamren Curl, Darious Williams, and Tre'Davious White. At the same time, White has started in just 10 combined games in the last two seasons, Williams is 31 years old, and Ahkello Witherspoon -- who started for the Rams in 2023 -- remains a free agent.

The reason the Rams made a concerted effort to improve in the secondary is due to them finishing 20th in passing success rate (54.6%) on defense last year. Additionally, Los Angeles logged the 10th-fewest interceptions (10) -- and third-fewest total takeaways (15) -- in the NFL a season ago.

The NFC West has a couple of teams -- the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks -- that deploy multi-talented receiving groups, and the Arizona Cardinals could be adding someone like Marvin Harrison Jr. to their offense. Harrison has the shortest odds to be the No. 4 overall pick (-155) in the 2024 NFL Draft, which is where the Cardinals are currently picking.

Some corners to keep an eye on for LA are Terrion Arnold, Quinyon Mitchell, Cooper DeJean, and Kool-Aid McKinstry. Even though the Rams have already done plenty to alter the outlook of their defensive back group in 2024, they could be seeking a long-term answer at cornerback early in the draft.

Looking for the latest NFL odds? Head over to FanDuel Sportsbook and check out all of the NFL betting options.

Sign up for FanDuel Sportsbook and FanDuel Daily Fantasy today!

The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.