In 2016, the Los Angeles Rams selected Jared Goff with the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft. Believe it or not, the team would then go nearly a decade without making another pick in the first round of the draft.
That finally changed in 2024, though, when the team once again made a first-round selection during the NFL Draft, landing Florida State defensive end Jared Verse with the 19th overall pick. The team celebrated the occasion by building a very special SoFi Stadium field right on the beautiful Hermosa Beach. If you’re already anticipating the start of the next NFL season, sites like ESPN BET offering odds for the upcoming matches would be worth visiting.
The Rams first revealed the SoFi Stadium field on Hermosa Beach on the morning of April 25, just hours before the 2024 NFL Draft was scheduled to start. The team hired a company called Hellas Construction to use premium products like UltraBaseSystems Champion Panels to put together a replica of the real SoFi Stadium field.
This SoFi Stadium field size was only 60 yards as opposed to a full 100-plus yards, but that didn’t make it any less impressive as it helped get plenty of Rams fans ready for some football in late April.
Rams fans who showed up to see the awesome SoFi Stadium field on Hermosa Beach were able to do more than just look at the field. Those who visited it on the first two days of the 2024 NFL Draft were able to participate in “Skills and Drills” stations. They were also able to check out live coverage of the draft featuring special appearances from current Rams players, cheerleaders, and even the Rams mascot Rampage.
There was a feel-good element to the SoFi Stadium field on Hermosa Field, too. Once the draft festivities were over, the Rams used the field to stage a series of community efforts. The team partnered with the Hermosa Beach City School District and the Manhattan Beach Unified School District to host more than 2,000 kids who took part in several Play 60 Field Days.
There was even a flag football tournament held on the field before the festivities ended on May 2. And once everything was all said and done, the Rams dismantled the field and donated the turf from it to a local organization so that the SoFi Stadium field can continue to have a positive impact for many years to come.
The fans of many NFL teams likely take their first-round draft picks for granted every spring, but you won’t catch Rams fans doing that anytime soon. After going eight years without a first-round selection, they were so happy to see their team reappear at the top of the NFL Draft board. Many of them made the most of it by visiting the SoFi Stadium field on Hermosa Beach and celebrating their favorite team’s top draft pick together.
