Juicy post by PARAM on viability of Snead’s roster building strategy…

Here’s PARAM…

I don't know about "big expense to present and future team reasources". We've traded away a lot of picks for established players. The talk has always been "the Rams are mortgaging the future". Every year. And every year we won until this year when the overwhelming number of injuries was unprecedented.

We gave up five 1sts, three 2nds, two 3rds, three 4ths, three 5ths and a 6th between 2017 and 2022 for Watkins, Cooks, Peters, Talib, Ramsey, Corbett, Stafford, Michel and Von Miller. Plus our 2017 draft was already missing a 1st and 3rd rounder (Goff). Just looking at the first 5 rounds over a 6 year period we gave up all the firsts (6), 3 seconds, 3 thirds, 3 fourths and 3 fifths.....18 total and still made 53 selections thanks to comp picks, trading away guys and trading during the draft. In those drafts (not counting 2022) we drafted 14 starters. That's almost 3 a year (Kupp, Johnson, Ebukam, Noteboom, Allen, SJD, Rapp, Gaines, Edwards, Scott, Akers, Jefferson, Fuller and Jones).

So now it's coming due? We'll have 10 picks (again) in this draft. A high 2nd and 3rd and 8 more in the 6th and 7th (with a possible 5th round comp instead of a three 6ths). Plus I'd bet money Snead will get into the 4th or 5th round via trade. In 2024 we have a pick in every round AND most definitely a couple of comp picks. What "future" has been compromised? Ramsey and Stafford are still here. Kupp and Donald too. Wagner, Jones, Akers, ARob, Higbee, so we have the core. And we have a number of young guys (Williams, Durant, Skowronek, Hopkins, Scott, etc) who look good. Hell even Tutu contributed this year! Get our OL straightened out, hit good on a couple of picks (read: EDGE!!!) and we ain't going nowhere (as far as downhill is concerned).