Rams General Manager Les Snead has veered away from most of his peers when it comes to how he views first-round picks in the NFL Draft.
Snead has consistently shown a willingness to move those picks in trades and the Rams haven’t made a first-round selection since 2016. Cornerback Jalen Ramsey and quarterback Matthew Stafford will be in the lineup in Super Bowl LVI as a result of two of those trades and the Stafford trade has them without a first-round pick until 2024.
The Rams also traded their 2022 second- and third-round picks for linebacker Von Miller and their fourth-rounder for running back Sony Michel in other moves that helped the team win the NFC. On Wednesday, Snead discussed his philosophy regarding trading picks and said that teams that want to be the best “need to do things a little differently than the other 31.”
“The model is working,” Snead said, via Mark Canizzaro of the New York Post. “It’s allowing us to consistently win games, consistently contend for NFC West. We’ll try to use our [draft] picks in an innovative, creative way and sometimes it will be picking players in the draft and sometimes it will be using them to go acquire players.”
Those trades and other moves like the signing of wide receiver Odell Beckham have been complimented by the arrival of productive players like wide receiver Cooper Kupp, tight end Tyler Higbee, tackle Rob Havenstein, and defensive tackle Greg Gaines outside of the first round. Using a 2014 first-round pick Aaron Donald is also on the list of wise moves by Snead and the Rams as they’ve used every avenue to build a team that will try to win it all on Sunday.
