There were whispers and reports before the draft about the Los Angeles Rams wanting to trade up for Brock Bowers in Round 1, a player they coveted. Leading up to the first round, they were calling teams to gauge how much it would cost to move up for him but in the end, they never struck a deal to go up from No. 19 overall.
A new behind-the-scenes show from NFL Films and Roku called “NFL Draft: The Pick Is In” just released on Friday and it shows just how hard the Rams tried to trade up for not only Bowers, but also Texas defensive tackle Byron Murphy II. Les Snead and Sean McVay called just about every team in the top 10 about trading up from No. 19 and were denied each and every time.
The day started with the Rams targeting Bowers, Murphy and Jared Verse in Round 1, as well as Braden Fiske later on.
Les Snead: “If we get Bowers, Murphy or Verse, and even Fiske…”
The offers started with the Jets at No. 10. This was the Rams’ first offer to New York before the Jets traded back one spot to No. 11.
- Rams get: No. 10
- Jets get: Nos. 19, 52
After the Jets moved back one spot, Snead and GM Joe Douglas talked about a trade again.
Snead: “Let me ask you this? If we threw in our 99, third round, and then y’all give back 185.”
- Rams get: Nos. 11, 185
- Jets get: Nos. 19, 52, 99
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The Rams were worried that the Jets were going to take Bowers at No. 11, but Douglas assured Snead that they weren’t.
Snead: “No, he said he’s not taking your guy,” he told Rams scouting director James Gladstone.
McVay was sure that the Colts would take Bowers at No. 15 if he slipped that far, so the Rams kept looking at their options ahead of Indianapolis.
McVay: “If we can’t get ahead of Indy, then we don’t get Bowers. Indy’s going to take Bowers, is what I’m saying. If we can’t get ahead of Indy, there’s no chance.”
The Rams had a feeling the Broncos would take Bo Nix at No. 12, which is exactly what they did – much to the excitement of Snead and McVay – so they turned their attention to the Raiders at No. 13.
Snead: “I was wondering if y’all would like to go to 19. We’d give you our 52, ask for your fourth back, 112,” he told Tom Telesco, Raiders GM.
- Rams get: Nos. 13, 112
- Raiders get: Nos. 19, 52
No dice. The Raiders turned down the Rams’ offer and took Bowers.
“We really liked that player, but one of the other 31 liked him as well and they picked him. That’s just the way the draft is,” Snead said.
That’s when the Rams turned their attention to another player: Murphy. With Aaron Donald gone, they loved what Murphy would bring to the table at defensive tackle, so they targeted him in Round 1.
McVay was particularly aggressive in wanting to land the Texas defender.
McVay: “We’ll be reasonable, but try and go up and get Murphy. I would try to get this guy. He makes a huge difference to me. I just don’t think he’ll get past 16. I’m not saying reckless but he’s way better than anyone –“
Snead: “Don’t worry about that. That ain’t in the DNA.”
McVay: “But aggressively smart is.”
The Colts were sitting at No. 15, which was the perfect spot for the Rams to try to trade up to because they knew the Seahawks were likely to take Murphy one pick later.
This was Snead’s offer to the Colts, which was also turned down; Indianapolis then took Laiatu Latu.
- Rams get: Nos. 15, 191
- Colts get: Nos. 19, 99, 154
After seeing Murphy come off the board, the Rams stopped trying to move up because both of their primary targets were gone.
McVay: “All right, there we go. Now we sit tight and see how we want to navigate this.”
Verse was always on their radar as one of the last players they would consider taking at No. 19 without trading down.
Snead: “If Verse goes, you think about trading back?”
McVay: “Definitely. If he goes, definitely. I’d move back. If not, stay there and take him.”
And that’s exactly what the Rams did. They selected Verse, a vocal and passionate player on the edge.
“He’s a (expletive), in a good way,” McVay said.
You can watch the full episode of “NFL Draft: The Pick Is In” on The Roku Channel here.