What was the Rams best NFL draft class? Analyst says it happened in the 1940s
The Los Angeles Rams have had a lot of good draft classes in their franchise's history.
The 2024 group is among the best of the most recent NFL classes, while the 2023 class of Puka Nacua, Byron Young and Kobie Turner is also elite. The Rams also had a ton of incredible classes in the 1970s, 80s and 90s that shepherded in successful eras in the team's history.
But Sports Illustrated's Gilberto Manzano went back even further to find the Rams' top class. He picked the team's 1945 class as the franchise's best group ever because of the two Hall-of-Famers taken: Elroy Hirsch in the first round and Tom Fears in the 11th round.
"The then-Cleveland Rams used a first-round pick on Elroy 'Crazylegs' Hirsch, who led the NFL with 66 receptions, 1,495 receiving yards and 17 touchdowns in 1951," Manzano wrote. "Hirsch, a Wisconsin native, quickly turned Hollywood after the team moved to Los Angeles, becoming an actor and starring in his own biopic, the '53 film 'Crazylegs.' In the 11th round, the Rams took Tom Fears, who was born in Guadalajara, Mexico, before his family moved to Southern California."
While the Rams have drafted a lot of Hall of Fame players during the history of the franchise, this is the only one with two players in Canton.
The Rams went 9-1 that season and won the NFL Championship Game. The group went to three consecutive championship starting in 1949 and won again in 1951.
Here is the full list of drafted players from 1945:
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