Rating the St. Louis Rams’ 2014 Draft Picks at Midseason

Aug 23, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA; St. Louis Rams defensive end Michael Sam (96) during warm ups before the game against the St. Louis Rams at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Tied for Last: Demetrius Rhaney, Michael Sam, Mitchell Van Dyk, Christian Bryant, Garrett Gilbert

Among the Rams’ 11 draft picks this year, just more than half of them have spent any time on the active roster this year. In fact, the team’s last five picks, from pick 214 in the sixth round all the way to pick 250 in the seventh, have all been jettisoned in some form. Two of those five (Bryant on the practice squad and Rhaney on IR) remain in the organization, while Gilbert started the year on the practice squad but has since been released, and Van Dyk and Sam were released outright at the end of training camp.

It gets difficult to fit everybody in when the Rams are the youngest team in the league for three straight years, but no matter the case, it’s an atrocity that none of the last five picks are even on the roster just halfway through their respective rookie seasons. If the Rams are going to become a perennial power like the Pittsburgh Steelers or Green Bay Packers—or even consistently competitive—they need to start making better use of their late-round draft picks.

In fairness, they were able to find four undrafted free agents—Marcus Roberson, Alex Bayer, Ethan Westbrooks, and Trey Watts—who all have contributed in some capacity this season, but when an organization has a surplus of draft picks, they need to convert at least on some of them.