Rams: The trade for Matthew Stafford and the reliance on late round picks
By Hunter Neel
Looking at draft capital for Rams
The Rams traded away their first round picks in both 2022 and 2023 in order to get Stafford, which just extended their drought without a first round pick. In fact, the last first round pick the Rams had was in 2016, where they selected Jared Goff number one overall.
Yes you read that right, the Rams have not had a first round pick since 2016, and do not have one until 2024. That is a mere seven years without a first round pick at their disposal. Now, first round picks can be widely overrated by many, as they are only as good as the players selected but the value they bring from a roster construction standpoint is crucial to most teams.
One thing is clear though, the Rams and general manager Les Snead do not care about the picks and prefer to take the sure thing in a trade for a talent player over the potential a first round prospect brings. There is something to be said about this strategy but it puts an emphasis on your later round draft picks and finding success there.
The Rams are happy to take on this challenge though and have been successful doing so. Over the years the team has hit on a number of late round draft picks that now play impactful roles on the team roster. The team has drafted players such as: John Johnson, Cooper Kupp, Cam Akers, Jordan Fuller, Rob Havenstein, Taylor Rapp, Van Jefferson, Josh Reynolds, Tyler Higbee, Samson Ebukam, Gerald Everett, and Terrell Burgess.
The Rams have hit on some late round picks over the years but with this Stafford trade, the pressure is now on to continue this trend and get talented players in the building without high capital to do so. Especially because the team is not in a great cap situation and will need the cheap talent to continue to operate going forward.