As free agency begins next week, the Los Angeles Rams will remain steadfast on their “draft and development” philsophy that has boaded well for them for the last couple of years.
In that time span, the Rams have reached the playoffs twice and took the regining Super Bowl champions to the wire. This is a team that is getting younger and expected to win…a lot.
It’s not quite to the level that the Super Bowl LVI roster was at but it has the potential to become a great one, nonetheless. Most of the credit belongs to general manager Les Snead for the job he had done in the last 24-36 months. Now, this offseason has raised expectations and that comes with the NFL Draft.
Los Angeles currently bestows the No. 26 overall selection in the first round. Their next draft pick won’t be until late in the third round at No. 90. The team’s second round choice currently belongs to the Carolina Panthers, who the Rams traded up with to take defensive tackle Braden Fiske.
With that said, one of the top options for the Rams in the draft this year isn’t to select a top-end offensive tackle, nose tackle, linebacker, or tight end. The team’s top option is to trade back into the sweet spot of this year’s class: Day Two, rounds two and three.
A first round pick valuable for many reasons but in a draft that doesn’t offer many high-end, superstar-like prospects to push down the very good to elite players down the board, trading back is a tasty item on the Rams menu. Rounds two and three have the most depth and quality prospects in this year’s draft and the more the team has, the chances of landing an immediate contriubtor right away.
Let’s look at this trade back scenario. Los Angeles trades down with the Indianapolis Colts out of the first round to the middle of the second while garnering Indianapolis’ second rounder in 2026 and a third-round pick, giving the Rams four top 100 picks, including three in the first round. The three-round mock draft is as followed:
Round 2, No. 45 (via Colts): Purdue OL Marcus Mbow
Round 3, No 80 (via Colts): Ole Miss LB Chris Paul Jr.
Round 3, No. 90: Utah State WR Jalen Royals
Round 3, No. 100: Oregon TE Terrance Ferguson
From the jump, the Rams would be getting a future starting right tackle in Mbow, a starting inside linebacker in Paul, a true slot and run-after-catch player in Royals, and a potential starting tight end in Ferguson. The more chances the team has in Day Two, the better their odds of landing key contributors from their rookie class this season.
Of course, L.A. could sit tight if they feel convicted about a player at No. 26. This is also a good option, especially if they land a player high on their board that falls into their laps, which happens for any team every year. However, the Rams could get their return on investment if they chose to trade back into what is expected to be a deep Day Two crop of prospects.
