Trade Back? Rams Have Taught Masterclass on Day 2

Daniel Jeremiah won't be surprised to see Les Snead trade out of No. 26, acquire valuable assets

Jul 29, 2024; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay, general manager Les Snead and chief of staff Carter Crutchfield talk on the field during training camp at Loyola Marymount University. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The Rams have a good problem. Their five-game winning streak late in the season clinched an improbable NFC West title. And after blasting the Vikings and nearly upsetting Philadelphia in the playoffs, they won’t draft until No. 26 in the first round.

Unless they trade back.

In his latest mock, draft expert Daniel Jeremiah has the Rams drafting defensive tackle Darius Alexander from Toledo at No. 26. But Jeremiah said Thursday on a call with reporters that general manager Les Snead has proven his ability to nail picks on Day 2, finding gems in the second and third rounds. In other words, don’t be surprised to see the Rams make a deal.

“Well, Les has done such a good job in that range,” Jeremiah said, “so getting out of there and collecting extra picks, I'm all for that, especially when you kind of look at the direction that they could be looking.”

If the direction they could be looking is cornerback, wide receiver or tight end, Rounds 2 and 3 should offer plenty of starter options, Jeremiah said. Offensive tackle is a different story, though.

“The tackle, I wouldn't feel as confident of what you are going to get if you trade back, but there's still a need for corners, receivers. They could pluck a tight end. That's good position groups there on Day 2. If they were to slide back a little bit and collect some more resources there, I've got a lot of respect and appreciation for their ability to scout and find guys there. That would definitely make sense to me.”

It would make sense for two reasons. First, the Rams currently have only six total selections before the NFL awards compensatory picks this spring. They’ll get a special compensatory choice at the end of the third round for losing Raheem Morris to a head-coach role with the Falcons, but they currently have no selections in the second, fifth or seventh rounds.

Second, Snead and the Rams have crushed Day 2 in the last two drafts as they shifted to more of a draft-and-develop philosophy. Last year, after taking eventual NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Jared Verse on Day 1, they followed with Braden Fiske, Kamren Kinchens and Blake Corum on Day 2. In 2023, they got three starters on Day 2, Steve Avila, Kobie Turner and Byron Young.

And if that wasn’t enough in 2023, they found Puka Nacua in the fifth round. Snead’s front office has been outstanding, and certainly wouldn’t mind dealing No. 26 to another club in exchange for more capital.

The Rams didn’t have a first-round pick from 2017-23, but they also haven’t drafted 26 or later in the first round since they went 31st in 2002. That was the year after they lost the Super Bowl to Tom Brady and the Patriots, and selected linebacker Robert Thomas.

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