COLUMN: Rams Top Draft Option Should Be a Trade Back

In a depth-heavy draft class, the Los Angeles Rams should consider trading back in the first round, or out of it entirely.

Jan 13, 2025; Glendale, AZ, USA; Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay after the NFC wild card game against the Minnesota Vikings at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images / Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

Teams around the NFL continue to be in awe of what the Los Angeles Rams have been able to accomplish with such a young roster in the last two season. The team is 20-14 since 2023 while finding rookie or second-year contributors on the roster.

With the recent success and a deep playoff run in 2024-2025, this has opened the door for the franchise to enter discussions about being legitimate Super Bowl contenders heading into the new season.

Los Angeles has seemingly found a new approach to the crisis they had a few years ago when the franchise went all-in on their way to a Lombardi Trophy in 2021. Their installation of young players on both sides of the ball has generated many potential cornerstones while leaving a large margin for improvement.

Coaching has also been a key factor with terrific work from head coach Sean McVay and defensive coordinator Chris Shula. It's a big reason why the team has been able to go on strong runs at the end of the season. Player development for guys on rookie contracts has been obvious, especially with the early season struggles.

In the NFL Draft, the Rams will bestow the No. 26 overall selection and won't make another pick until late in the third round on Night Two of the selection process. In recent years, this wouldn't be a significant issue for teams with that large of a margin between their first and second selection due to the amount of high-end talent that pushes the good ones down the board. This year is a different story.

The 2025 draft class is considered a "starters draft," as NFL Network lead draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah has said. There is a bevy of quality talent and depth in the second day of the draft that can be immediate contributors or starters right away. For general manager Les Snead, this should be a clear sign that their top option at No. 26 isn't a player but to trade back in the first round or out of it entirely.

With just three Top 100 selections, including two between picks 90 and 100, the Rams must trade back and acquire more capital. In the latest Rams On SI mock draft, the team trades back with the New England Patriots to land a couple of potential starters at linebacker, slot receiver, and cornerback throughout.

The team bolsters some key needs in the secondary and the sweet spot for the position group in within rounds two and three. Linebacker is another along with edge rusher depth and a potential starting nose tackle to replace Bobby Brown III. Cooper Kupp's exit opens the door for competition at slot receiver and there are plenty of them in this year's draft.

It would be surprising to see the Rams not trade back in the first round unless a terrific prospect fell into their lap. While fans have reasons to still remain hesitant about Snead's process as a general manager in the last decade, his approach in recent seasons has shown to be effective but for him to remain as such, he must be smart and deliberate with how he works the draft order this year.

Los Angeles is in a good position once again to compete for a world title but their offseason approach, especially in the draft, must be calcualted and that starts with acquiring as much talent as possible through a trade-back from pick No. 26.

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