Rams Wire Mailbag: Draft-day trades? Options at No. 52?

Who might the Rams trade on draft weekend?

The Los Angeles Rams will go four straight years without making a first-round pick, having to wait until No. 52 overall before joining the action in the draft this weekend. It’s the result of their trade for Jalen Ramsey, which will also cost them their 2021 first-round pick.

In this draft-themed mailbag, I attempt to answer the biggest questions of the week leading up to the main event this weekend. Those questions include ones about Rob Havenstein possibly being traded, how many deals the Rams will make in the draft, and which position they may not address.

Let’s get to the questions, and thanks as always to those who submitted them.

If the Rams have shown us one thing over the last few years, it’s that they won’t reach for a player out of need. In 2018, they took Joseph Noteboom when the offensive line already looked pretty good. Last year, it was Taylor Rapp, even though John Johnson and Eric Weddle were penciled in as starters and under contract for the next two years.

In this scenario, I’d say the Rams would take the best player available – within reason. They shouldn’t have any QBs on their board that high, nor should they take a tight end. It’ll most likely be the best player at one of these positions: ILB, OLB, OL, WR, RB

Those would be the three likeliest, yes. You could also throw Robert Woods into the mix, but I doubt that happens because his contract is already so team-friendly.

Here’s how likely I’d say each is to happen (out of 10).

Donald: 7
Havenstein: 3
Higbee: 5

Pushing money out to later years with Havenstein and Higbee just isn’t wise because the Rams might want to get out of those contracts before they expire.

It’s possible, but I get the feeling that the Rams really like the idea of using a lot of two-tight end sets with Higbee and Everett next season. Havenstein should get another chance to start in 2020 after a disastrous season in 2019, even after Bobby Evans appeared to play well enough to start.

I just wouldn’t cut ties with Havenstein this soon after one bad season. People tend to forget he was a top right tackle in 2018.

I don’t have any inside knowledge, nor have I seen the uniforms. But the Rams have said it’ll be later this spring. They haven’t given a specific timeline and according to reports, it’ll be sometime after the draft.

My guess is sometime in early-mid May. If they’re waiting for the outrage about the logo to die down before unveiling the uniforms, we might not see them until 2022.

Running back. Yes, they’re interested in adding help at that position, but there are still plenty of free-agent running backs available (Devonta Freeman, Carlos Hyde) and there will be quality undrafted rookies on the market, too.

That being said, I also wouldn’t be surprised if the Rams took the best one available in the second round. It’s just so hard to predict which way they’ll go, but don’t be shocked if they leave the draft without a running back.

They’d probably love to add one in the draft, but I have a hard time finding a good time to take one without trading back. The Rams don’t have a fifth-round pick, and while they could use a sixth- or seventh-rounder on a QB, it’s almost a wasted effort because rarely does that work out.

The Rams just have too many needs to address early in the draft and with no risk of losing or cutting Goff in the near future, they can afford to go cheap and risky at backup QB in 2020.

I think Micah Kiser will be one of the starting linebackers next season, whether the Rams draft one or not. He was supposed to be a starter last year before tearing his pec, and the team has a lot of confidence in him.

Kenny Young is more likely to be a backup. He couldn’t carve out a role last season after being acquired by the Rams and I just think he’s better suited as a No. 3 linebacker than a starter.

Would the Rams love to take him at No. 52? Probably. Will they get the chance to? It’s highly unlikely. His athleticism and potential will get him drafted in the first 40 picks, probably in the first round.

The Rams met with him before the draft and have shown interest in him, but it’s just hard to see him dropping to 52 after the offseason he had.

I’ll put the over/under on trades by the Rams at 3.5, and I’ll take the over. Les Snead loves to move around the board and stockpile picks, but he’s also not afraid to go up and get a guy he likes. The Rams don’t have a fifth-rounder, so I could easily see them making a trade to acquire one.

I think their first pick will be a pass rusher, potentially someone like Terrell Lewis or Josh Uche. On the offensive line, it could be someone like Matt Hennessy, Lloyd Cushenberry or Robert Hunt.

Michigan center Cesar Ruiz would be the best-case scenario, but he won’t be there.

I do. The team signed him to an extension in 2018 and he made them look smart for doing so. Last season was a mess all across the offensive line, and Havenstein wasn’t excluded from that. But I’d still give him another year to prove he can bounce back before cutting ties.

And with Andrew Whitworth’s future always up in the air after each season, the Rams might need Bobby Evans to start at left tackle in 2021, thus increasing Havenstein’s value.

Absolutely. Taylor Rapp went 61st overall last year and even though he wasn’t a Day 1 starter, per se, he was an impact starter by midseason. The Rams can get an instant contributor at guard, outside linebacker, inside linebacker and even wide receiver in this draft.

And with two second-round picks just five spots apart, they can easily find two Week 1 starters in this class.

Nope. If the salary cap weren’t in the equation, maybe. But the salary cap will have a big say in what the Rams can and can’t do this offseason, and acquiring Williams is something they can’t afford. He has a cap hit of $14.5 million in 2020 and the Rams are already over the salary cap by more than $5 million.

Their options will be very limited the rest of the way this year, all but ruling out the addition of Trent Williams.

Definitely. That’s actually one way the Rams can create some cap flexibility this year. If they sign him to an extension with a lower cap hit in 2020, it’ll be a huge benefit. That’s easier said than done, especially with a player like Ramsey, but they’ll certainly try to extend him this year.

The last thing the Rams want is to enter the 2021 offseason with Ramsey set to become a free agent. They could tag him, but there’s no reason to believe Ramsey wouldn’t hold out in that scenario.

It better be Josh Jones, and I think that’s the way the Rams would lean, too. Running back simply isn’t that big of a need for the Rams to take one at No. 52, even as good as Swift is. Jones may not be a Year 1 contributor like Swift would, but he’d carry more value as a potential starting left tackle in 2021.

That’s a good question. Les Snead said the delay has to do with getting physicals done, but other teams haven’t had any trouble making deals official during this difficult time.

In the end, I think the Rams will get Floyd’s deal finalized, but if they take two edge rushers this weekend, keep an eye on this situation. Maybe they’d back out of Floyd’s deal the way the Ravens did with Brockers.