How NFL Analysts, Sportsbooks View Rams’ Contender Status Following NFL Draft

“The Rams aren’t without their issues,” Bleacher Report NFL analyst Gary Davenport wrote. “With [Von] Miller gone and Andrew Whitworth retired, there are questions on the edge and at left tackle. The Rams are also going to get every team’s ‘A’ game this season—everyone wants to knock off the champs. But the Rams are indeed the defending champions and a team stacked with talent on offense and defense. The top spot is theirs until another team knocks them off it.”

CBS Sports NFL analyst Pere Prisco also views the Rams as the best team in the NFL entering the regular season. Part of that is because he “always keeps the defending Super Bowl champions in the top spot until the regular season kicks off.” He also praised Rams general manager Les Snead’s ability to add talented younger players to the team, asking just one question of Los Angeles entering the 2022 season.

“The champs will be poised to make another Super Bowl run. They are basically the same team. The question is can they handle being the hunted,” Prisco wrote.

For The Win’s Christian D’Andrea similarly views the Rams as the league’s top team due to their status as reigning champions. He also liked one of Los Angeles’s draft picks.

“The king stays the king, even if the Rams’ foundation is built on aging players and one vital injury could stress LA’s precarious depth to a point of failure,” D’Andrea wrote. “Matthew Stafford did the damn thing and left the Lions in Detroit. Cooper Kupp emerged as a one-man offense. Cam Akers should be healthy for the full season and flanked by Darrell Henderson and Kyren Williams. The defense added Bobby Wagner. Most experts would suggest this is not bad. Not bad at all.”

NFL.com’s Dan Hanzus doesn’t have the Rams at No. 1 in his power rankings, placing them at No. 2 right behind the BIlls. Hanzus wasn’t as intrigued by the Rams’ draft, but he does believe there’s still a move they can make to cement themselves as one of the league’s best.

“As the Thursday night press conference featuring Sean McVay and Les Snead made clear, the party goes on for the defending champs. The Rams are one of just two teams (Dolphins) since 2009 to not make a selection in the first 100 choices of a draft, so, yes, the “Eff Them Picks” era of Rams football remains alive and well,” Hanzus wrote. “I could share my trenchant thoughts about Logan Bruss, third-round pick out of Wisconsin, but I think we’re all more interested in whether Odell Beckham Jr. will return to Los Angeles in 2022. The veteran wide receiver remains a free agent while he recovers from his latest ACL reconstruction surgery.”

Sporting News’ Vinnie Iyer appears to be a bit more concerned with the players the Rams lost during the offseason. He has them ranked fifth in his power rankings behind the Chiefs, Bills, Buccaneers, and Packers.

“The Rams also took some hits after their Super Bowl run, including Andrew Whitworth, Von Miller, Robert Woods, Darious Williams and, for now, Odell Beckham Jr,” Iyer wrote. “But they also recovered by adding Allen Robinson and Bobby Wagner before filling a few more smaller holes in the draft. With Matthew Stafford still operating the offense for Sean McVay, the champs stay on the Super Bowl short list.”

Oddsmakers Remain High on Rams’ Super Bowl Odds

When you don’t do much at the NFL draft, it appears your odds to win the Super Bowl don’t change. At least that was the case for the Rams.

On March 23, Tipico Sportsbook gave Los Angeles +1000 odds to win Super Bowl LVII. After the draft, its odds to win the Lombardi are still +1000, which is tied for the third-best odds in the league with the Chiefs and Packers. Only the Bills (+650) and Buccaneers (+700) are ahead of the Rams.

As for wins, DraftKings Sportsbook has set the Rams’ over/under win total at 10.5, which is the fifth-highest in the league. Los Angeles won 12 games last season.