One small group of people who Les Snead and the Los Angeles Rams could help out this year is those of us who are tired of mentioning how long it has been since the franchise has used a first round pick on day one of the NFL Draft. It’s been eight years and the Rams are in a rare position (for them) to be approaching the first round with a first round pick.

It means that we can finally talk about the L.A. Rams in relation to first round mock drafts and what I’ve learned is that there are a bevy of interesting options at pick 19. What should the Rams do with their first round pick?

I asked writers at Turf Show Times a series of questions and the first one I’ll post their answers to is:

Who is your favorite first round prospect who you want the Rams to draft and you think he will be available to the team in the draft?

Blaine Grisak:

“This is a two-phased question. My favorite first-round prospect would be Olu Fashanu from Penn State. He’s only 21 years old and has the ceiling to be an elite left tackle in the NFL. We’ve seen the Rams offense at its best when the offensive line is among that top-tier. Fashanu likely won’t be there at 19, but the Rams may only need to trade up in the 10-15 range to acquire him. If the Rams were to draft Fashanu they would have their franchise left tackle for the next decade plus.

With that said, my favorite prospect who should be there at 19 for the Rams is Chop Robinson. His get-off at the line of scrimmage is elite. The production wasn’t there at Penn State, but watching his tape, you can see how consistently disruptive he is. His ceiling could end up making him not just the best edge player, but best defensive player in this draft class. Not only that, he fills a position that almost everybody would consider a need.”

Evan Craig:

“I really like either Jared Verse or Bryon Murphy II to the Rams in the first round. I believe there’s a strong chance both players could be available by the time LA picks and the defense needs additional help on the line following Aaron Donald’s retirement.”

Danny Stone:

“Kool Aid McKinstry but I think LA has options so if they want to go offensive line or defensive line that is fine too. No issue with the Rams trading down for more picks or if they can trade up and can get “their guy” then they should.”

Jake Ellenbogen:

“Chop Robinson. The Rams biggest need in my mind is an edge defender. They can feel good about drafting three young edge players in last year’s draft but only Byron Young of those three played meaningful snaps. They can feel good about bringing back Michael Hoecht to add depth to the position but without Aaron Donald the Rams won’t be able to get away with the same edge defenders they had last year.

Chop is the best edge defender in this class I’ve scouted thus far. I think he’s the only one who can emulate the lightning quick first step Donald brought to the table. His lack of production does not concern me for a few reasons but the biggest is biggest he was part of an unusual rotation while at Penn State. Regardless if the Rams stay at #19 overall, trade up or trade down, the best option available to also fill the biggest need is Chop Robinson.”

Kenneth Arthur:

“I think you could go in many different directions and make it make sense, but I’ll add Illinois defensive tackle Johnny Newton into the conversation here since I don’t see him mentioned as often as some other names. I would deduce L.A.’s options in the first round like this: The 18 picks before the Rams select should be offense-heavy, which I believe will push some potential top-10 defensive talents to 19. I think if the grades are equal, the Rams should focus on a defensive player over an offensive player. And I think they need to get better upfront on defense before they can worry about a defensive back like Cooper DeJean or maybe even an edge rusher like Laiatu Latu. For that reason, I’ll highlight Newton, the most productive interior presence in the 2024 NFL Draft and someone who could be a steal at 19.”

Who is your favorite first round prospect for the Rams? Tell us in the comments.