Rams improve 2023 draft grade from B to A+
The Los Angeles Rams have received a lot of praise over the last few years for drafting Puka Nacua in the fifth round of the 2023 draft, but in the shadow of the best day three pick of the past decade is the fact that L.A. also did great on day two. That year, Rams general manager Les Snead also found Steve Avila , Kobie Turner , and Byron Young , all without a first round pick. Pete Prisco of CBS Sports re-graded his thoughts after the 2023 draft and changed his evaluation of the Rams draft class from a solid B to an A+, acknowledging that L.A. had as good of a class as any team in the NFL: 2023 grade: B The skinny: They had 14 picks in the draft and five of them are starters with the best of them being fifth-round receiver Puka Nacua . He has proven to be a star and a steal. They also got starters in guard Steve Avila (second), defensive linemen Byron Young and Kobie Turner in the third and right tackle Warren McClendon in the fifth. Backup tight end Davis Allen also came in the fifth. Backup quarterback Stetson Bennett came in the fourth. How I did: I thought Avila was their best pick and Bennett was their worst. I went on to say how much I liked their draft, mentioning Young as a player I liked. I thought it was the type of draft to help overhaul the roster, which it did. I didn’t mention Nacua, which means I missed on him like the rest of the league. New grade: A+ Nacua has broken records and nearly won Offensive Player of the Year in 2025, setting himself up to be a frontrunner again in 2026 and years to come if he can stay available for games. He’s had some issues with injuries and off-field concerns. Young broke out for 12.5 sacks in 2025, another player looking to cash in on an extension before next summer and a 2027 free agent. Avila and Turner will also become free agents unless Snead comes to an agreement on new deals for both of them, and they should be costly given their dependability as starters on a championship-caliber roster. Outside of these four players, the Rams also found starting right tackle Warren McClendon and tight end Davis Allen in the fifth, before they took Puka, punter Ethan Evans in the sixth, and Desjuan Johnson as “Mr. Irrelevant”, one of L.A.’s best reserve defensive linemen. Prisco truly only mentions Stetson Bennett because he’s a quarterback and no other reason, but he’s not even close to being one of the best eight players drafted by Snead in 2023. It’s a solid year if a team drafts two good starters, and phenomenal if they get four, but the Rams are looking back at the 2023 class three seasons later and can take comfort in the fact that it is one of the best draft jobs done by the team in franchise history