Why this is the perfect year for the Rams to trade up in the NFL Draft
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For the second year in a row, the Los Angeles Rams won’t have a first-round pick in the draft. In 2017, it was the result of moving up for Jared Goff. This year, it’s because the Rams traded the 23rd overall pick for Brandin Cooks.
As exciting as both trades were, Les Snead and Sean McVay will be faced with the harsh reality of having to wait until Round 3 to make their first selection. Following their selection at No. 87, the Rams will also have three fourth-round picks and four selections in Round 6.
That gives them eight total picks in the draft, including four in the first four rounds. It’s not a terrible situation to be in, especially considering how many stars the Rams have acquired this offseason.
Given Snead’s willingness to deal draft picks for players and other selections in recent years, it wouldn’t be the least bit surprising to see Los Angeles move around next weekend. He’s typically more inclined to move down and acquire additional selections, but don’t be surprised to see the Rams move up in the draft.
At least, that’s what they should do.
With eight picks between Rounds 3 and 6, the Rams are in prime position to slide up at some point. That’s not to say they should mortgage selections in 2019 to get back into the second round, or that they even have the ammunition to jump 30 spots, but if a player were to slide in the third round, the Rams should pounce.
Their primary needs right now are edge rusher, inside linebacker and offensive line depth. Outside of those holes, the Rams don’t have many voids on the roster. Sure, they can draft a wide receiver in Round 6 in case Cooks leaves next year, or a safety in Round 4 as an insurance policy for franchise-tagged Lamarcus Joyner, but neither of those picks would fill an immediate hole.
The draft is deep at both inside and outside linebacker, which means a starting-caliber player will likely slide to the third round. Consider this scenario: Kemoko Turay is on the board when the Raiders go on the clock at No. 75 – 12 spots ahead of the Rams.
According to the trade value chart, there’s a 60-point difference between those two picks. In order for the Rams to move up that far, they’d likely have to give up the 136th pick (37.5 points) and the 176th selection (20.6 points).
Just about every team in the NFL could use a pass rusher like Turay, but the teams picking between the Raiders and Rams in Round 3 are particularly starved for edge rushers. Among them are the Packers, Lions, Chiefs and Panthers.
Would the Rams be willing to give up a fourth- and sixth-round pick to move up 12 spots to land someone like Turay, Josh Sweat or Ogbonnia Okoronkwo – three of the top pass-rushing options in Round 3? Who knows, but they should be. If there’s someone they’re enamored with when the third round begins, Snead should jump on the phone and begin calling teams about moving up.
The Rams have so much depth at nearly every position outside of linebacker and offensive line that sixth-round picks may not even make the roster. Why not give up a few to go get a player you covet?
The counter-point is that the draft is deep and starting-caliber players can be had at 87. That notion isn’t wrong. However, given how specific each scheme is in the NFL, the Rams shouldn’t settle for someone who doesn’t fit Wade Phillips’ system when an ideal prospect is available 10-15 picks higher.
If the Rams were to make the trade outlined above, they’d still have two fourth-round picks and three sixth-rounders left. Those selections would undoubtedly be used to add an inside linebacker (or two), as well as more reinforcements at EDGE.
It really boils down to quality over quantity. Because the Rams aren’t a team like the Bills – who have needs on the offensive and defensive lines, as well as at wide receiver and quarterback – they can afford to sacrifice mid-to-late-round picks in order to trade up. After all, they eliminated needs at cornerback and wide receiver by acquiring Marcus Peters, Aqib Talib and Brandin Cooks, while also plugging a hole at nose tackle with Ndamukong Suh.
If Snead has been so willing to fill holes by making trades all offseason, why stop now? The Rams should absolutely think about packaging picks to move up in this year’s draft. It’s the perfect year to do it.
#HelmetHornsMatter
“Well, the color is good, I like the metallic blue,” Youngblood recently said while laughing, via NFL Journal. “The horn is terrible. It looks like a ‘C.’ When I first saw it on the logo I honestly thought it was a Charger logo.
“Now when I see it on the helmet, it just isn’t a ram horn. There is no distinct curl like a mature ram horn. I don’t know how the Rams could get that wrong. That is your symbol and it has been for what? Seventy years or more? Longer than I have been alive? It’s just not us, it’s not the Rams.”---Mr. Ram Jack Youngblood
For the second year in a row, the Los Angeles Rams won’t have a first-round pick in the draft. In 2017, it was the result of moving up for Jared Goff. This year, it’s because the Rams traded the 23rd overall pick for Brandin Cooks.
As exciting as both trades were, Les Snead and Sean McVay will be faced with the harsh reality of having to wait until Round 3 to make their first selection. Following their selection at No. 87, the Rams will also have three fourth-round picks and four selections in Round 6.
That gives them eight total picks in the draft, including four in the first four rounds. It’s not a terrible situation to be in, especially considering how many stars the Rams have acquired this offseason.
Given Snead’s willingness to deal draft picks for players and other selections in recent years, it wouldn’t be the least bit surprising to see Los Angeles move around next weekend. He’s typically more inclined to move down and acquire additional selections, but don’t be surprised to see the Rams move up in the draft.
At least, that’s what they should do.
With eight picks between Rounds 3 and 6, the Rams are in prime position to slide up at some point. That’s not to say they should mortgage selections in 2019 to get back into the second round, or that they even have the ammunition to jump 30 spots, but if a player were to slide in the third round, the Rams should pounce.
Their primary needs right now are edge rusher, inside linebacker and offensive line depth. Outside of those holes, the Rams don’t have many voids on the roster. Sure, they can draft a wide receiver in Round 6 in case Cooks leaves next year, or a safety in Round 4 as an insurance policy for franchise-tagged Lamarcus Joyner, but neither of those picks would fill an immediate hole.
The draft is deep at both inside and outside linebacker, which means a starting-caliber player will likely slide to the third round. Consider this scenario: Kemoko Turay is on the board when the Raiders go on the clock at No. 75 – 12 spots ahead of the Rams.
According to the trade value chart, there’s a 60-point difference between those two picks. In order for the Rams to move up that far, they’d likely have to give up the 136th pick (37.5 points) and the 176th selection (20.6 points).
Just about every team in the NFL could use a pass rusher like Turay, but the teams picking between the Raiders and Rams in Round 3 are particularly starved for edge rushers. Among them are the Packers, Lions, Chiefs and Panthers.
Would the Rams be willing to give up a fourth- and sixth-round pick to move up 12 spots to land someone like Turay, Josh Sweat or Ogbonnia Okoronkwo – three of the top pass-rushing options in Round 3? Who knows, but they should be. If there’s someone they’re enamored with when the third round begins, Snead should jump on the phone and begin calling teams about moving up.
The Rams have so much depth at nearly every position outside of linebacker and offensive line that sixth-round picks may not even make the roster. Why not give up a few to go get a player you covet?
The counter-point is that the draft is deep and starting-caliber players can be had at 87. That notion isn’t wrong. However, given how specific each scheme is in the NFL, the Rams shouldn’t settle for someone who doesn’t fit Wade Phillips’ system when an ideal prospect is available 10-15 picks higher.
If the Rams were to make the trade outlined above, they’d still have two fourth-round picks and three sixth-rounders left. Those selections would undoubtedly be used to add an inside linebacker (or two), as well as more reinforcements at EDGE.
It really boils down to quality over quantity. Because the Rams aren’t a team like the Bills – who have needs on the offensive and defensive lines, as well as at wide receiver and quarterback – they can afford to sacrifice mid-to-late-round picks in order to trade up. After all, they eliminated needs at cornerback and wide receiver by acquiring Marcus Peters, Aqib Talib and Brandin Cooks, while also plugging a hole at nose tackle with Ndamukong Suh.
If Snead has been so willing to fill holes by making trades all offseason, why stop now? The Rams should absolutely think about packaging picks to move up in this year’s draft. It’s the perfect year to do it.
#HelmetHornsMatter
“Well, the color is good, I like the metallic blue,” Youngblood recently said while laughing, via NFL Journal. “The horn is terrible. It looks like a ‘C.’ When I first saw it on the logo I honestly thought it was a Charger logo.
“Now when I see it on the helmet, it just isn’t a ram horn. There is no distinct curl like a mature ram horn. I don’t know how the Rams could get that wrong. That is your symbol and it has been for what? Seventy years or more? Longer than I have been alive? It’s just not us, it’s not the Rams.”---Mr. Ram Jack Youngblood
| Subject | Author | Views | Posted |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Ramsdude | 371 | April 17, 2018 02:47PM |
| jemach | 172 | April 17, 2018 03:08PM |
