A deep dive into analytics is not required to identify the Rams’ needs going into the NFL draft.

For the last two seasons, the Rams ranked last in the league in offense.

Last year, they tried to remedy the problem by trading to the top of the draft to select quarterback Jared Goff, but that cost them a first-round pick in this year’s draft, which begins Thursday in Philadelphia.

The Rams have since hired offense-minded Sean McVay as coach, former Atlanta Falcons quarterbacks coach Matt LaFleur as offensive coordinator and experienced Greg Olson as quarterbacks coach. All of the moves were made with Goff’s development in mind.


× The Cleveland Browns will kick off the 2017 NFL draft with the first pick. (April 25, 2017) (Sign up for our free video newsletter here http://bit.ly/2n6VKPR)

The Rams then signed several free agents — receiver Robert Woods, and veteran offensive linemen Andrew Whitworth and John Sullivan among them — but they still must address needs at receiver, tight end and the offensive line.

Barring a Thursday trade to move up, the Rams will have to wait until Friday’s second round to make their first pick at No. 37.

“It’s going to be foggy on Thursday night when the bell rings,” general manager Les Snead said of the draft, “but it’ll be a lot clearer when those 32 picks are made.”


The Rams have eight picks in rounds 2 through 7. Although some will be made to augment the 3-4 scheme of new defensive coordinator Wade Phillips, several are expected to be utilized to inject life — and points — into an offense that last year drove once-celebratory fans away from the Coliseum. After a blowout loss to Atlanta, Jeff Fisher’s final game as Rams coach, running back Todd Gurley famously said: “It looked like a middle-school offense out there.”

McVay, 31, spent the last three seasons as the Washington Redskins’ offensive coordinator. Last season, Washington ranked third in the NFL in total offense and second in passing.

Rams fans can only imagine.

“We definitely want to be a team that has some speed and has the ability to create explosive plays,” McVay said.


McVay noted that he has “great rapport” with Snead, who is conducting his sixth draft with the Rams. Snead has described McVay as a “very intuitive evaluator” of players.

“He knows exactly what each player needs to do for his offense to be successful and what traits they need to have,” Snead said. “He does a great job articulating it, does an even better job making cut-ups of players in the NFL — probably specifically Washington — what they do well, what they do not so well and why they fit that role.”

The Rams let 1,000-yard receiver Kenny Britt and underperforming Brian Quick leave as free agents. They added Woods to go along with Tavon Austin, who signed a $42-million extension in August. Austin caught only three touchdown passes last season; Woods one.

Receivers Pharoh Cooper and Nelson Spruce return after spending part and all of their rookie seasons, respectively, sidelined because of injuries. Mike Thomas played mainly on special teams.


So the Rams have studied a receiver class that includes Clemson’s Mike Williams, Washington’s John Ross, Western Michigan’s Corey Davis, East Carolina’s Zay Jones and USC’s JuJu Smith-Schuster, among others.

“It is a class with depth,” Snead said. “Maybe not deep in terms of guys who just tilt the field and defensive coordinators are up at night.

“But I think where the depth goes is, ‘Hey this guy fits this role. This guy’s, you know, slot. Outside guy. Go-deep guy.’”

The Rams released tight end Lance Kendricks, leaving veteran Cory Harkey — who mainly has played as a fullback — as the most experienced player at the position. Tyler Higbee caught only 11 passes and Temarrick Hemingway zero as rookies last season.


Alabama tight end O.J. Howard will probably be off the board before the Rams’ pick. Miami’s David Njoku and Mississippi’s Evan Ingram are other highly regarded tight ends.

The addition of Whitworth and Sullivan might fix big holes in the offensive line, but neither is regarded as a long-term solution. So the Rams will probably seek a center and will not rule out other offensive linemen.

The Rams appear set at running back with Todd Gurley and free-agent acquisition Lance Dunbar but they could add another in the draft.

They can prioritize how they will proceed once the first round ends Thursday night.


“We’ll have plans,” Snead said. “We’ll sit here, I’m sure, a lot, talk about what might occur, the scenarios, who’s left, are all of our players left that we’re really targeting or just a few.

“And then I think that will affect the strategy from there.”

gary.klein@latimes.com


Follow Gary Klein on Twitter @latimesklein