Rams eye QB, future at NFL draft

‘Building a team’

Andrew McCutchen #22 of the Pittsburgh Pirates grounds out to shortstop Cristhian Adames #18 of the Colorado Rockies

in the eighth inning at Coors Field on April 26, in Denver, Colorado. (AFP)

LOS ANGELES, April 27, (AFP): The Los Angeles Rams aim to land a franchise quarterback capable of leading them into a bold new era on Thursday when the NFL draft gets under way with all eyes on the California team’s first pick.

The Rams, whose move back to Los Angeles from St Louis was confirmed in January, stunned the league earlier this month after completing a trade with the Tennessee Titans to secure the No 1 pick in the draft.

The deal means the Rams are all but certain to select a rookie quarterback for next season, with the choice expected to fall between the University of California Berkeley’s Jared Goff and Carson Wentz of North Dakota State.

Both players have been interviewed by the Rams ahead of Thursday’s D-day in Chicago, but officials have so far stayed tight-lipped on who they plan to entrust with the task of running their offense for years to come.

“We’re probably going to take an offensive player,” Rams coach Jeff Fisher quipped at a press conference in Los Angeles on Tuesday.

The stakes could not be higher for the Rams, who are desperate to hit the ground