Revisiting the Rams' history with the 26th overall pick in the draft
The 2025 NFL draft is rapidly approaching, and in less than a month, the Los Angeles Rams will be on the clock with the 26th overall pick, marking the first time since 2015 and 2016 that the Rams will have picked in Round 1 in consecutive drafts.
Throughout their history in Los Angeles (1946–1994, 2016–present), the Rams have 26th overall four times. Here's a look back at those four selections.
RB Cleveland Gary, 1989
During the 1988 NFL draft, the Rams selected a hometown product in Gaston Green, an All-American running back from UCLA in the first round. Green lasted three seasons in LA, rushed for just 451 yards, and never scored a touchdown. One year after Green rushed for just 117 yards in 10 games during his rookie season, the Rams decided to swing for another player to carry the rock, selecting Cleveland Gary 26th overall in 1989.
Gary, who won a national championship with the University of Miami in 1987, fared well in the Rams' backfield. In just his second season, he scored 14 rushing touchdowns, which was tied for the most in 1990. Two years later, he enjoyed a breakout season rushing for 1,125 yards and seven touchdowns while adding 52 receptions for 293 yards and three scores through the air. After five seasons on the West Coast, Gary made his way out east where he played his final season in 1994 with the Miami Dolphins.
OG Kent Hill, 1979
Kent Hill had one wish during the 1979 NFL Draft: to get drafted by a warm-weather team. That wish was granted when the Rams drafted him with the 26th pick of the 1979 draft. Hill found instant success with the Rams as a rookie as the team would reach Super Bowl XIV but ultimately fell to the Pittsburgh Steelers 31-19. Over the next six seasons, the former Georgia Tech product would make five Pro Bowl appearances and a pair of All-Pro teams. Hill would go on to play for the Houston Oilers in 1986 and 1987 before officially retiring. After his career, he would go on to return to his alma mater for nine years as the assistant athletic director and, in 2006, founded Kent's Country Cookies.
LB Kevin McLain, 1976
Following an All-American career at Colorado State, the Rams selected linebacker Kevin McLain 26th overall in the first round of the 1976 draft. The Tulsa, Oklahoma native would go on to appear in 48 games across four seasons with Los Angeles.
DL Billy Ray Smith, 1957
The difference between DL Billy Ray Smith and the other three names on this list is that Smith was not a first-round selection. Instead, he was the 26th overall pick, which happened to be in the third round during the 1957 draft. At the time, there were only 12 teams in the league, and the Rams held the first pick of the third round. Smith, who played college football in Arkansas, lasted just one season in Los Angeles. He would go on to spend three seasons (1958-1960) with the Steelers and 10 seasons (1961-1970) with the Baltimore Colts, where he earned the nickname 'The Rabbit' by his teammates. During his time with the Colts, he earned Second-Team All-Pro honors in 1968 and helped the Colts capture wins in the 1968 NFL championship game and a 16-13 win in Super Bowl V over the Dallas Cowboys.
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