In retrospect, Jim Everett got a bad rap. He feuded with Jim Rome (who labeled him "Chris" in reference to his play comparing him to the female player, Chris Evert), the Rams gave up a lot for his rights, and he had an overall losing record.
From San Diego, Dryer played collegiately at San Diego State and was drafted in the First Round by the New York Giants in 1969. While Dryer's play was strong for the G-Men, he was not happy there and the Giants became frustrated with him so he would be traded to New England, who he refused to play for as there was no new contract and they traded him to the Los Angeles Rams as the Patriots declined to pay him what he asked.
Standing at 6' 7", Lamar Lundy might have been the most imposing figure of the Rams' famed "Fearsome Foursome" and was part of a revolution of sorts that helped to glorify modern defense. The two-sport athlete (he was also a basketball player) was the first black player to receive an athletic scholarship at the University of Purdue, and he opted for a career in Pro Football much to the delight of Los Angeles Rams fans.
Jack Pardee was the 14th overall pick in 1957, and the Texas A&M Aggie would be a fixture at Linebacker for the Rams for 13 years. Pardee played 169 for Los Angeles, starting 150 of them. In 1963 he would be named a First Team All-Pro as well as being named to the Pro Bowl. He managed to secure 17 Interceptions for the Rams, a good number for a Linebacker.
There are very few careers that you can categorize as near-perfect and Aaron Donald, who played ten campaigns for the Rams is one of those rare players.
2025 Pre-Season Rank #26, 2024 Pre-Season Rank #31, 2023 Pre-Season Rank #37, 2022 Pre-Season Rank #37, 2021 Pre-Season Rank #59, 2020 Pre-Season Rank #67. Peak Period: 2011-15.
A change of scenery can change the perception.
Matthew Stafford was a Lion for 12 years, racking up passing yards but only a few wins. A Pro Bowl participant once in Detroit, Stafford was entrenched as a second-tier QB. The Rams traded for him, and he became a Super Bowl Champion in his first year in Los Angeles, gaining national recognition. Articles were written (and scoffed at) proclaiming him a Hall of Famer, but his play in L.A. has now placed him not only in the conversation, but to many pundits, a lock.
Much of that came from last season’s performance, where for the first time in his career, he led the NFL in Passing Yards and Touchdown Passes, but most importantly, he won the MVP. He also rocketed up the all-time lists, and is currently 6th in Passing Yards (64,516) and 7th in Touchdown Passes (423), and another monster year will move him even higher. Considering who he has to pass to, that seems very doable.
If Stafford wins a Super Bowl in 2026, and he is favored to do so, get the bust ready now.
2020 Pre-Season Rank #15, 2021 Pre-Season Rank #5, 2022 Pre-Season Rank #3, 2023 Pre-Season Rank #2. PEAK 2017-21
Well, look who’s back!
When we last saw Aaron Donald on this list, it was heading into the 2023 season, which he completed with another Pro Bowl, giving him a perfect ten-for-ten in that accolade. He then shock-retired, doing so while still having something left.
Let’s see what he still has.
It is easy to see why Donald opted to come back. The Rams begin the season as the most loaded team in football. Quarterback Matthew Stafford is the reigning MVP, and they landed the defending Defensive Player of the Year in Myles Garrett. This team narrowly lost to the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Championship Game, and now they have a returning Aaron Donald and Myles Garrett? We haven’t even mentioned the acquisitions of Trent McDuffie and Jaley Watson to the Defensive Back Corps!
A quick reminder of who Donald is.
He is a three-time Defensive Player of the Year, and anyone who has ever done that twice has always been enshrined…easily. From 2015 to 2021, he never finished lower than fifth for the DPOY, he led the NFL in Sacks once, Tackles for Loss twice, and also boasts a Super Bowl ring.
He could easily add another.
Should he be ahead of the previous #1, Quarterback Aaron Rodgers? We answer this with this question.
Who is easier to put on the Mount Rushmore of his position? Aaron Donald or Aaron Rodgers?
You can see who we narrowly picked!
The Rams arguably landed quite a deal when they drafted Norm Van Brocklin in the fourth round of the 1950 NFL Draft as the QB fell not because he wasn't good but because it was speculated by many that he would stay at the University of Oregon for his senior year. He didn't, and the Rams would be the beneficiary of an incredible QB tandem with Bob Waterfield that would win the 1951 NFL Championship.
Drafted second overall from SMU in 1983, Eric Dickerson would become the most explosive Running Back in the National Football League. As a rookie, Dickerson would win the Offensive Rookie of the Year in a season where he led the league in Rushing Yards with 1,808 Yards and 18 Touchdowns, the former being good enough to finish first. That was good, but in 1984 what he would accomplish would be ten shades of incredible.
Selected second overall in the 1966 NFL Draft out of the University of Michigan, Tom Mack would become the teams starting Left Guard midway through the 1966 season, and in his sophomore season he would be named to the Pro Bowl. That year would be the first of eleven trips to the annual game honor showcasing the best players in the National Football League. Without question, for over a decade the Los Angeles Rams never had to worry about Left Guard as Mack was clearly among the elite in that role. He would appear in 184 straight games for L.A., the only team he ever played professionally for.
Drafted by the New York Yanks second overall Les Richter never suited up for them as they folded. His rights went to the new Dallas Texans (who pretty much took most of the Yanks), but he never played for them either as he was traded to the Los Angeles Rams for 11 players. While this may look lopsided, it was but in favor of the Rams!
The passing statistics of Bob Waterfield may look poor by today's standards, but when he debuted for the Cleveland Rams after a great career at UCLA, he would take the Cleveland Rams to an NFL Championship as a rookie in 1945. Waterfield was not just the teams Quarterback as he was also their Kicker and Punter, and defensively, he had 20 Interceptions as a Back. He would win the MVP Award that season, a rarity for any rookie in any sport.
In terms of tenure, there are none in higher standing than Jackie Slater, who played 259 Games in the NFL (plus 18 more in the playoffs) for the Rams in a 20-year career that spanned from 1976 to 1995. Earning the starting Right Tackle job to commence the 1979 season, Slater would be a fixture there starting 211 of the next 211 games he played. Throughout the 1980s, Slater established himself in the upper echelon at his position going to the Pro Bowl seven Times and receiving three Second Team All-Pro Selections. There will never be a more durable player in franchise history than Slater.
When we are speaking about the St. Louis Rams and the “Greatest Show on Turf” an engine needs to be referenced. That engine was Marshall Faulk, the Hall of Fame Running Back for the Rams.
Every great team needs a steady presence and for “The Greatest Show on Turf” that was Left Tackle, Orlando Pace.
Like so many on the all-time Rams list, Kurt Warner was a hard one to place mainly due to the long existence of the franchise and the number of great players that they had. So when you have a player regardless of the caliber who was only there six seasons but when three of those campaigns were as spectacular as what Warner had from 1999 to 2001 he has to be on this list at a high spot. Though we understand why you might think this is not high enough, or maybe if you believe this is even too high!
Dubbed "Crazy Legs" for the unique way he ran, Elroy Hirsch is one of the most well-known players of his era. An exceptional athlete at the University of Michigan, Hirsch served as a Marine (like many did back then) and upon his return from duty, he led a College All-Star team to a 16-0 win over the Los Angeles Rams, who were the defending NFL champions and many reporters stated Hirsch was the star of that game.