It’s hard to quantify how impressive the Los Angeles Rams’ draft haul was in 2023.
Without a first-round pick in that draft, the Rams took what ended up being six starters: guard Steve Avila, defensive tackle Kobie Turner, edge rusher Byron Young, wide receiver Puka Nacua, offensive tackle Warren McClendon Jr. and punter Ethan Evans.
But if the NFL went back in time, there’s a very high chance the Rams don’t even get the opportunity to draft most of those players.
CBS Sports’ Ryan Wilson did a 2023 re-draft and placed four of the Rams’ best players from that class in the first round, despite none of them going earlier than the No. 36 pick that year. As Wilson put it, the re-draft “confirms just how good the Rams’ draft haul was.”
Put that into another perspective, the only other team that had four players taken in the first round of this re-draft was the Detroit Lions (Jahmyr Gibbs, Jack Campbell, Sam LaPorta, Brian Branch).
The difference with the Rams, though, is that two of those Lions players were drafted in the first round (Gibbs and Campbell), while the other two were taken in the second round. The Rams players, meanwhile, were all drafted between Nos. 36 and 177 — quite the difference.
Here’s where the Rams’ top players went in the re-draft.
WR Puka Nacua
The crown jewel of the class. Nacua, who the Rams took at No. 177 in 2023, shoots all the way to third overall in the re-draft to the Houston Texans, who still added the pick after taking Bryce Young at No. 2 (C.J. Stroud went No. 1).
Will Anderson Jr. was such a good pick here, and the cost, it turns out, was not prohibitive either. But rules are rules, so instead, the Texans get Bryce Young a legit weapon in Puka Nacua.
EDGE Byron Young
Young, a third-round pick at No. 77, goes to Detroit in the re-draft at No. 19. The Lions grab him to replace Jack Campbell, who went to the Jets at No. 15 in this scenario.
Young has 29 sacks in three seasons, including 12 in 2025 — which is tied for second among pass rushers from the 2023 class behind Tuli Tuipulotu. Young is an older player for the 2023 class (he’s 28, while Anderson is just 24), but that’s not necessarily a bad thing; sure, maybe his ceiling is lower — but it was already pretty high when he arrived in the league.
DT Kobie Turner
Turner, who went No. 89 overall in reality, lands with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at No. 19. In this scenario, Tampa opts for Turner instead of their actual selection, defensive tackle Calijah Kancey. While Kancey is good, Turner has more than double the sacks (24 vs. 11.5) and hasn’t missed nearly as many games (51 career games vs. 29).
Kobie Turner was a combine snub, again showing that the combine isn’t a prerequisite to not only getting drafted (and Turner was a Day 2 pick) but also being one of the best players in your draft class. Also: this re-draft confirms just how good the Rams’ draft haul was — they have four players going in the first round here, none of whom were actual first-rounders in 2023.
OG Steve Avila
The second-round interior lineman lands with Buffalo at No. 25 who took tight end Dalton Kincaid with their actual selection. Avila has quietly become one of the better offensive guards in football since arriving in Los Angeles.
O’Cyrus Torrence has been really good for the Bills, but Steve Avila has maybe been a little better in L.A. for the Rams, where he’s played solely at left guard. He’ll have to move to right guard in Buffalo, but I’d expect him to play close to the same level.
For a franchise that mortgaged draft capital to win Super Bowl LVI, replenishing through the draft was always going to be a slow rebuild. But the 2023 class made a strong argument that general manager Les Snead and company haven’t lost a step when it comes to finding players.
Now, all four are in line for contract extensions. We’ll see which ones actually get their new deals, though.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: 4 Rams players taken in 1st round of 2023 re-draft
Reporting by Oliver G., Rams Wire / Rams Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
