Rams GM Les Snead appears on solid ground following NFL draft

By Gary Klein

A few hours before last week’s NFL draft, Les Snead and Sean McVay paced the deserted fields at the Rams’ Thousand Oaks practice facility.

They were engaged in separate phone conversations. Snead, wearing earbuds, walked slowly along the sideline of the field closest to the players’ parking lot. McVay, about 60 yards away, marched purposefully with his phone to his ear on a field nearer a hillside trail.

The Rams general manager and coach eventually retreated to join staff in the team’s draft room, where they spent much of three days shoulder to shoulder discussing strategy, reviewing their constantly updated board and making picks.

And when they met with reporters after selecting eight players, they sat side by side at a table and delivered comments that indicated a budding professional respect, if not a full-fledged bromance.

Snead, 46, described bonding with the 31-year-old McVay as “a unique experience ...

“Because he’s a rare guy. ... He can come into a room and he can fire you up. There’s energy, you want to go to work, you want to be the best, and he’s a big part of that. That’s invaluable.”

Said McVay: “Thank you, Les, that’s very nice of you to say. I think it’s a lot of the same.”

The Rams drafted two wide receivers, a tight end, a fullback, a defensive lineman, two linebackers and a safety.

Will they help fuel a turnaround for a franchise that has not made the playoffs since 2003?

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[www.latimes.com]