Les Snead Proud of Protégé for Engineering NFL’s Headline Trade

Former Los Angeles Rams director of scouting strategy James Gladstone landed Travis Hunter for the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The Jacksonville Jaguars’ first-round pick, Colorado Buffaloes wide receiver and defensive back Travis Hunter sits in his chair with his helmet on and acting as if he was running after answering questions during a press conference Friday, March 25, 2025 at Miller Electric Center in Jacksonville, Fla. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union] | Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Twelve minutes into the draft on Thursday night, James Gladstone shocked the world. Just two months after leaving the Rams to become the NFL’s youngest general manager in Jacksonville, Gladstone traded up to take Travis Hunter No. 2 overall.

Across the country, he had one particularly interested observer.

“I’ll say this,” Rams general manager Les Snead said Thursday night. “You only live once. Don't be scared. You only got one life. Make sure you're not scared while you're living it. So, you know what? James is living his best life tonight. Go get ‘em, James.”

Three hours later, the Rams made their own trade. Snead and head coach Sean McVay moved back into the second round and netted an additional first-round selection next year from Atlanta, giving up the 26th overall choice. The Falcons selected defensive end James Pearce from Tennessee.

Gladstone, Snead’s right-hand man from 2017 until he departed for Jacksonville in February, connected his seismic trade on Thursday night with how the Rams built their Super Bowl-winning roster four years ago. And like Snead, he advised Jacksonville fans to live without fear.

“You know what,” Gladstone said after selecting Hunter and trading away his first-rounder in 2026, “I probably got some familiarity with the ‘mmm them picks’ sort of process. For our fans, I'll tell you, don't be scared. This is something I'm uniquely positioned to navigate.

“We ended up bringing Travis Hunter to Jacksonville, and with that, he is somebody who is deserving of a first-round draft pick as a wide receiver. And he is worthy of a first-round draft pick as a corner. Certainly, look forward to each of those elements showing themselves over the next few years while he is under his rookie contract but, yeah, we're excited about just getting him in the boat, so to speak.”

Snead said what Gladstone did Thursday night was in the works well in advance of Thursday night. Throughout the scouting process last fall, Snead said Gladstone was a big fan of Hunter.

“It was fun to watch because James was here, from afar,” Snead said. “I call it attack, be aggressive. Obviously, they had a lot of passion for that player. We didn't discuss a lot leading up to the draft, so a surprise for me.

“James always had an affinity for Mr. Hunter. I didn't ever think it was realistic for him, though. But I do know this, there was a moment in the last couple weeks where he was really asking, I was connecting him with a good friend of mine that knows Mr. Hunter well … So, had a little inkling that maybe something was up.” 

The Rams are scheduled to play a road game against Hunter and the Jaguars this fall, with the schedule set for release on May 14. That game could either be at London’s Wembley Stadium or EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville.

Ensure you follow on X (Twitter) @RamsInsideronSI and weigh in on the move!

Please let us know your thoughts on the move when you like our Facebook page WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.