It’s been four years since the Los Angeles Rams last made a first-round pick, and as things currently stand, it’ll be another two years until they make their next selection in the top 32. To put that into perspective, Sean McVay was 30 years old when he was hired by the Rams and he won’t make a first-round pick until he’s 36.
Few teams, if any, have been as aggressive as the Rams in the last three years. They’ve traded draft picks like candy, acquiring the likes of Sammy Watkins, Brandin Cooks, Marcus Peters, Aqib Talib and Jalen Ramsey.
The Rams don’t have a first-round pick this year (or next), but is it possible they could make a selection in the top 32 during next week’s draft? After trading away Cooks for a second-round pick, it’s certainly possible – albeit, unlikely.
The Rams have the 52nd and 57th overall picks in the draft and could conceivably package those picks to make a big move up, all the way into the first round. Let’s take a look at the trade value chart using figures from Drafttek to see just how far the Rams could trade up.
With a total value of 710 points, the Rams could move all the way to No. 26, where the Dolphins are selecting. That’s an unlikely trade to happen, though, because Miami already has more picks than it knows what to do with. A more realistic move would be a trade with the Seahawks or Ravens at No. 27 and 28, specifically Seattle.
Pete Carroll and John Schneider love to trade down and stockpile picks, and trading with the Rams would net them two second-round picks, giving them four selections in the first two rounds: Nos. 52, 57, 59 and 64.
If the Ravens were to make that deal with the Rams, they’d have picks 52, 55, 57 and 60. Whether that’s more valuable than the 28th pick is up for debate, but it’s a scenario that checks out on the trade value chart.
As for the Rams, moving back into the first round is fun to think about. It’d give them a fifth-year option and excite fans on the first night of the draft for the first time since 2016, but it’d be the wrong move.
For what the Rams need in this draft, they’d be far better off staying where they are and using those two second-round picks to bolster the roster. Although the depth chart looks decent right now, it’s hard to make the case that the Rams are one player away from being back in the Super Bowl. And by trading up to the first round, they’d be saying they’re that close to being the team they were in 2018.
The Rams could help at guard, center, inside linebacker, edge rusher, wide receiver, running back and safety. That doesn’t mean they need Day 1 starters at those spots, but all of them could use reinforcements for the 2020 season and beyond.
If the Rams were to trade up to No. 27 or 28, it would have to be for a surefire starter – which can’t always be found at the end of the first round. Here are some possible targets for the Rams if they were to trade into the final few picks of the first.
- Michigan C Cesar Ruiz
- Baylor WR Denzel Mims
- TCU WR Jalen Reagor
- LSU LB Patrick Queen
- Oklahoma LB Kenneth Murray
Notice how there isn’t a guard or edge rusher on that list. It’s not because all of the good ones will be gone by the end of the first round, but because the real value at those positions is in the second and third rounds.
Even at wide receiver, center and linebacker, there’s excellent value in the second round – more so than in the final 10 picks of the first round.
If the Rams stand pat at No. 52 and 57, they could come away with a combination such as OLB Julian Okwara and WR Brandon Aiyuk, or OLB Terrell Lewis and C Lloyd Cushenberry, or OLB Josh Uche and WR Michael Pittman Jr.
All of those players would most likely be impactful from Day 1 for the Rams, which would be far more beneficial than finding one potential starter in the first round. Los Angeles simply isn’t one player away from returning to its 2018 form.
And that’s the primary reason the Rams should either stay put at No. 52 and 57, make a small trade up that doesn’t include packaging both picks together, or even moving down to stockpile more selections in Rounds 3 and 4.
This draft class is simply too deep at the Rams’ positions of need and L.A. doesn’t have the slightest chance to trade up far enough to land a blue-chip prospect in the top 10.
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