In the first round, if the Rams had the opportunity, should they move down the deck?
Will the Los Angeles Rams have requests for a trade when they are in the first round on April 25th, presuming they haven’t already traded? Eric Edholm of NFL.com posted a mock draft in which the Dallas Cowboys traded up from 24 to 19 to choose LSU wide receiver Brian Thomas. That is one scenario that Edholm sees happening. Edholm states the following from the Dallas perspective, but he doesn’t say what the Cowboys would have given up to get there:
The Cowboys don’t have a ton of extra picks laying around, but I could see them being aggressive with Thomas surprisingly still on the board at this juncture. Dallas really needs to add pass-catching threats and might have to trade up to ensure landing one like this LSU product. He’s an explosive talent who can help shield CeeDee Lamb from seeing so many tricked-up coverages.
Edholm had the Rams select UCLA’s Laiatu Latu, an edge rusher who is already a top choice for Los Angeles in mock drafts, by dropping to 24. This article on Latu makes the utterly needless and repetitive claim that “Aaron Donald cannot be replaced.”
In lieu of trying to replace Aaron Donald, which isn’t possible, the Rams might look to address the pass-rush unit in other ways. Latu’s injury history is worrisome for a Round 1 pick, but his effort and technical savvy could make him a great value if he stays on the field.
If the Rams dropped from 19 to 24, what would they get? I would lower the bar.
In order to advance five spots in the first round, teams essentially don’t give up second round picks or potential first round picks. Not that, then. Would 3.87 be selected by the Rams? I assume that’s exactly what Les Snead would ask for. Since the Cowboys lack their original five or fourth pick, this trade would deny Dallas the opportunity to select any pick between 2.56 and 5.174. That is an incredible break.
Perhaps a pick swap of 2.56 to the Rams and 3.83 back to the Cowboys, with a sixth round pick, might be an additional option. After that, Los Angeles would drop five spots in the first round, gain 27 spots on the second day, and forfeit a pick on the third. The Rams may be able to boost their chances of acquiring two more possible first-round picks with the additional money from the second round. Emphasis on potential.