HERMOSA BEACH — It was a little over a year ago, as the Rams outlined their plan to reset their roster with a youth movement, that Aaron Donald gave the front office a simple request for the draft class: “Make sure they care.” From Puka Nacua running back onto the field following what looked like a debilitating shoulder injury, to Steve Avila playing every snap of the season, to Kobie Turner’s dejected face following a playoff loss, the Rams succeeded in that regard. And after the Rams conducted their first draft following Donald’s retirement, they believe their 10 picks this weekend fit a sim ..read more

HERMOSA BEACH — The Rams looked to address their long-term situation at kicker on Saturday, picking Stanford’s Joshua Karty with the 209th overall pick in the sixth round. Karty missed only two field-goal attempts from inside 50 yards during his three-year collegiate career. He made 23 of 27 attempts as a junior while connecting on all 21 of his point-after attempts. Karty said he identified the Rams early on in the draft process as a team he would like to join, preferring a West Coast team with a need at kicker. And he said the Rams showed clear interest in him, too, with special teams coordi ..read more

HERMOSA BEACH — Brennan Jackson kept his circle tight as he waited to learn his fate on the third down of the NFL draft. He sat in a home in his hometown of Temecula with his parents, grandparents, fiancé, her family and select friends. When the Washington State edge rusher’s phone rang, he clutched the watch bequeathed to him by his late grandfather as he answered. On the other end was his hometown team, the Rams, calling to bring him home to Southern California with the 154th overall pick in the fifth round. “It’s amazing, it’s an amazing feeling just knowing that my family is right here,” J ..read more

HERMOSA BEACH — The Rams have had discussions with quarterback Matthew Stafford about concerns related to his contract, head coach Sean McVay confirmed on Friday. NFL Network first reported Friday that Stafford was seeking more guaranteed money in his contract past the 2024 season. Stafford, 36, signed a four-year, $160 million extension with the Rams in 2022 following their Super Bowl LVI victory. But the veteran signal caller opted for a team-friendly deal that has no guaranteed money for the 2025 and 2026 seasons. The 13-year veteran missed eight games in 2022 with a series of injuries, inc ..read more

HERMOSA BEACH — When he landed about 20 hours after being selected by the Rams in the first round of the NFL draft, Jared Verse was told he would have at least half an hour to change and decompress before heading to the team’s draft headquarters. But when they arrived at the hotel on Friday, Verse’s escort told him he had two minutes before they had to leave. He questioned the sudden change of plan, and was told his new coaches wanted to speak to him before they made their second-round pick. Verse bought that explanation, but was still wary of the sudden haste with which they were moving. When ..read more

HERMOSA BEACH — The Rams added some depth to their secondary to close out the second day of the NFL draft, selecting Miami safety Kamren Kinchens with the penultimate pick of the third round. Kinchens, the 99th overall pick in the draft, had 59 total tackles and five passes defended in each of his final two seasons with the Hurricanes. He totaled 11 interceptions as a sophomore and junior. He was a first-team Associated Press All-American in 2022. He joins a safety room that lost both starters from last season. Captain Jordan Fuller signed with the Carolina Panthers, while John Johnson III rem ..read more

HERMOSA BEACH — The first time Blake Corum ever played on a football team, its name was the Rams. So when the Michigan running back was selected by the Rams in the third round of the NFL draft on Friday night, it felt fitting. “It was a really full-circle moment, like, I’m playing for the Rams in the NFL,” Corum said over Zoom Friday. “It’s been amazing.” Using the 83rd overall pick, the Rams addressed a need that head coach Sean McVay had spoken about since the owners’ meeting in March. The Rams needed a dependable backup for starting running back Kyren Williams after last season’s breakout s ..read more

Los Angeles Rams fans celebrated Day 2 of the 2024 NFL draft in Hermosa Beach on Friday, April 24, keeping the energy going during a two-day fan extravaganza at the shore. Day 1 of the experience was Thursday at Hermosa Beach’s Pier Plaza, where fans touted their favorite team having a first round draft pick for the first time since 2016, when the Rams returned to Los Angeles. A few Los Angeles Rams fans brave the wind during day 2 of the Rams Experience along the Hermosa Beach Pier in Hermosa Beach on Friday, April 26, 2024. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG) A coup ..read more

HERMOSA BEACH — The Rams were not satisfied with one member of the Florida State defense after selecting Jared Verse in the first round on Thursday. To open the second day of the NFL draft, the Rams traded up to take Seminole defensive tackle Braden Fiske with the 39th overall pick in the second round. To move up 13 spots from No. 52, the Rams traded a 2024 fifth-round pick (No. 155) and their 2025 second-round selection to the Carolina Panthers. Fiske, 24, is a 6-foot-4, 292-pound prospect who started his career at Western Michigan before transferring to Florida State for his senior seas ..read more

HERMOSA BEACH — Fate can be funny sometimes. When Jared Verse was an unknown outside linebacker at Albany, his head coach was Greg Gattuso, who had been the defensive line coach at Pittsburgh during the freshman season of one Aaron Donald. Gattuso arranged a Zoom call between Donald and his Albany defensive linemen, and Verse had the opportunity to pick the brain of the Rams’ dominant defensive tackle. “The biggest thing I took away from the questions I asked him was he said you don’t need a huge arsenal of moves,” Verse said. “If you have a couple good moves and you execute them to the highes ..read more