How the NFC champion Rams were built

In 2017, the Los Angeles Rams stunningly set the league ablaze under the guidance of wunderkind Sean McVay, only to see their fire extinguished in January.

Fast forward to this season: The Rams have ascended to previously unimaginable heights and are set to take on the seemingly immortal New England Patriots in Super Bowl LIII in Atlanta.

Here's how the Rams built the team that's taken them to the precipice of their second Super Bowl title in franchise history:

Key players

Year	Draft	Free Agent	Trade/Waiver
2010	LG Rodger Saffold
2011
2012	DE Michael Brockers	P Johnny Hekker
	K Greg Zuerlein
2013
2014	DT Aaron Donald		LB Mark Barron
	S Lamarcus Joyner
2015	RB Todd Gurley	LB Matt Longacre
	RT Rob Havenstein
2016	QB Jared Goff	LB Cory Littleton
	TE Tyler Higbee
2017	LB Samson Ebukam	LT Andrew Whitworth	RG Austin Blythe
	WR Josh Reynolds	WR Robert Woods
	S John Johnson III	C John Sullivan
		SCB Nickell Robey-Coleman
2018		DT Ndamukong Suh	CB Aqib Talib
		RB C.J. Anderson	CB Marcus Peters
		CB Sam Shields	WR Brandin Cooks
			DE Dante Fowler Jr.

Finding the pillarsIcon Sports Wire / Icon Sportswire / Getty

Every Super Bowl winner needs a nucleus of players to build around, and L.A. is a prime example of how a team can alter its destiny through the draft.

In 2014, the Rams - then based in St. Louis - used the 13th overall pick on reigning Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald. A year later, reigning Offensive Player of the Year Todd Gurley was selected 10th overall. And finally, after giving up a king's ransom to jump up to the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 draft, the Rams announced Jared Goff as the team's franchise quarterback.

All three players have been crucial in L.A.'s run to Atlanta.

Donald's league-leading 20.5 sacks in 2018 were the most for a defensive tackle in NFL history, all but assuring he'll retain his DPOY title; Gurley has found the end zone an NFL-best 40 times since 2016, a mind-boggling nine more than second-placed Alvin Kamara and 14 more than third-placed Melvin Gordon; Goff has transformed into a Pro Bowler and is coming off back-to-back seasons with a 100-plus passer rating.

Stuck in mediocrity no longer

McVay wasn't the man L.A. initially envisioned leading its team when the doors to the new $5-billion stadium in Inglewood open in 2020. That, of course, was supposed to be Jeff Fisher.

Fisher has become a punchline due to his teams' propensity to finish at, or around, the .500 mark. In fact, he had three such finishes with the Rams in five years before being fired midseason in 2016 while sitting at 4-9. But while Fisher deserved to lose his job and is clearly an inferior coach to the man who succeeded him, his impact shouldn't be overlooked.

All three stars mentioned above were drafted under Fisher (and general manager Les Snead, who remains in his role). Moreover, starters Michael Brockers, Mark Barron, Matt Longacre, Rob Havenstein, Cory Littleton, Tyler Higbee, Lamarcus Joyner, Johnny Hekker, and Greg Zuerlein were all found and developed under Fisher's watch.

In an alternate timeline, maybe Fisher didn't destroy his credibility by beefing with franchise legend Eric Dickerson and the Rams were forced to watch another team steal their prize.

The golden boyNorm Hall / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Although L.A. finally escaped the mediocrity that surrounded the Fisher era, many believed the team blew its chance at success by picking the youngest head coach in NFL history.

Ex-Rams coach Mike Martz provided a soundbite that will age as poorly as any in league history, saying the Rams "hired a buddy for Jared" before adding "wait a minute while I puke" in response to the then-30-year-old's offensive expert label.

Twenty-four regular-season wins, back-to-back NFC West titles, an impending Super Bowl appearance, and, of course, an avalanche of points later, the Rams look like geniuses.

When Martz finishes vomiting, he has a full plate of his own words to chow down on.

Picking pockets in free agency

L.A. has been active but selective in free agency under McVay, searching for players who were either underutilized or deemed expendable. The team's first free-agent haul was a bigger risk than most now acknowledge, as it was headlined by a then-35-year-old left tackle and a wide receiver who had never exceeded 700 yards in any of his first four seasons.

Andrew Whitworth had been a stud blindside protector with the Cincinnati Bengals, and while his signing was viewed as a good move to help Goff, there was no guarantee he'd last for his entire three-year deal. Robert Woods was an even bigger gamble considering his five-year, $39-million contract.

But both moves hit and hit big. Whitworth was Pro Football Focus' third-ranked offensive tackle in 2018 and is the anchor of an elite offensive line. Meanwhile, Woods racked up 2,000 yards over the last two years, including his recent 86-catch, 1,219-yard campaign.

Ndamukong Suh was the only big-name acquisition in free agency this past offseason, signing a one-year deal to form a terrifying duo with Donald. However, C.J. Anderson might arguably be the most impactful addition after multiple breakout performances with Gurley either sidelined or struggling to get back to his usual dominant form.

Trade big or go homeJohn McCoy / Getty Images Sport / Getty

With Goff on an affordable rookie deal until at least 2020, the Rams knew they had a small window to win a Super Bowl. Bucking conventional wisdom, the front office attacked the underutilized trade market like few playoff contenders before them in order to acquire elite-level talent.

In the 2018 offseason, Pro Bowlers Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib were bought with second-, fourth-, and fifth-round picks to give defensive coordinator Wade Phillips the cover corners he covets. After top target Sammy Watkins signed with the Kansas City Chiefs in free agency for $16 million per season, McVay found the home-run threat he'd been dying for in Brandin Cooks, who required a first-rounder and was almost immediately handed the money offered to Watkins. Meanwhile, longtime Rams Robert Quinn and Alec Ogletree were shipped off.

While that's normally two or three seasons worth of blockbuster moves for an average team, the Rams were far from done. Concerned about their lack of pass rush in July, the Rams engineered a midseason trade for former first-rounder Dante Fowler Jr. by sending the Jacksonville Jaguars a third-round draft pick in 2019 and a fifth-rounder in 2020.

If you need more to highlight just how aggressive L.A. was this past offseason, remember the two superstars they tried but failed to trade for: Khalil Mack and Odell Beckham Jr.

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