3-round mock draft: Rams trade back, still add impact OLB and CB

[theramswire.usatoday.com] 3-round mock draft: Rams trade back, still add impact OLB and CB

Cameron DaSilva
April 7, 2023 9:42 am PT
Rams GM Les Snead is someone who loves trading back in the draft. He’s done it countless times during his tenure with the Rams, always looking for opportunities to add picks later on in the draft.

Even with Los Angeles holding 11 picks this year, trading back to accumulate more isn’t out of the question for Snead. That’s exactly what the Rams do in Draft Wire’s latest mock draft, moving down six spots from No. 36 to 42.

In that trade, the Rams acquire the 55th overall pick and give up a third-rounder in 2024, a nice haul for moving down just six positions. At No. 42, the Rams still add an impactful pass rusher in Kansas State’s Felix Anudike-Uzomah.

Then with the pick they acquired in the trade with the Lions, they add South Carolina cornerback Cam Smith, another likely starter from Day 1. In the third round, the Rams select BYU offensive tackle Blake Freeland and Wake Forest wide receiver A.T. Perry.

Picking up Anudike-Uzomah, Smith, Freeland and Perry in the first three rounds would be a win for the Rams, even if offensive tackle and wideout aren’t their biggest roster needs. They’re not in a position to reach for specific positions because, quite frankly, they need help everywhere.