:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72223857/952511660.0.jpg "Rams draft picks 2023: Does Los Angeles have a first round pick? When is their first pick of the draft?")
The Los Angeles Rams have lived by the theory that winning now is more important than stocking up on talent with high draft picks. That finally paid off in the 2021 season when the Rams won the Super Bowl, but we saw the other side of the coin this year when the team battled through injuries and a lack of depth for a 5-12 finish.
After famously eschewing draft picks for so long, the Rams will now be leaning heavily on the rookie player pool to restock an aging roster. They do have 11 picks in this year's draft; however, for the seventh year in a row, they have no first-round pick.
This year's first-round pick went to the Detroit Lions in 2021 as part of the trade for quarterback Matthew Stafford. It turned out to be the sixth-overall pick. The good news for the Rams is that they'll be back in the first round next year unless they trade that one away too.
This year, the Rams will make their first pick early in the second round, number 36 overall. So, if you're planning to watch the Rams make their pick on live television, you'll want to tune in as soon as the broadcast kicks off at 7 p.m. ET on Friday night.
The Rams will make three picks in total on day two of the draft, their second-round pick and two selections in the third round, the extra one acquired as part of the trade that sent cornerback Jalen Ramsey to the Miami Dolphins.
As for who they might take in the draft, the Rams could go a number of ways with needs all over the roster. The most recent mock draft from ESPN's Mel Kiper and Todd McShay had the Rams selecting Kansas State defensive end Felix Anudike-Uzomah with the No. 36 pick, giving them a speedy edge rusher to bolster a sagging pass rush that's been leaning on all-universe player Aaron Donald.
After an injury-riddled season for Stafford and losing Baker Mayfield to free agency, another mock draft from CBS had the Rams potentially taking their signal caller of the future with Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker.