The Cleveland Browns hold the sixth overall pick in the draft and The Athletic’s Dane Brugler wrote this week that “we for sure know” that the Browns want to trade down. Brugler has Cleveland going down from 6 to 12 with the Cowboys in his mock draft, but could this be Les Snead’s opportunity to have the Rams move up?
If there aren’t many takers for Cleveland’s pick, then L.A.‘s cost to move up from 13 to 6 for a player like Caleb Downs might not be that costly.
Downs has been cited as a game-changing safety by some and a lock for the top-7 picks. If the Rams are lacking anything on defense that could alter their make-up on that side of the ball, it could be a safety like Downs. If they made that move in the same year that Snead traded for Trent McDuffie and signed Jaylen Watson, what a secondary makeover that would be for the Rams.
On the other hand, trading up for tackle/guard Spencer Fano might be the ultimate move to change L.A.’s future on offense.
Fano is Brugler’s top ranked tackle prospect and the Rams have three key free agents in 2027 on the offensive line: Steve Avila, Kevin Dotson, and Warren McClendon. Having a player like Fano makes it easy for the Rams to play for life after one of those players leaves in free agency and gives Snead options as to who that player should be to leave.
Then you might also ask yourself what a receiver like Carnell Tate or a running back like Jeremiyah Love or an edge rusher like Sonny Styles could do for Sean McVay.
The prospect that the Rams could get at 6 would be much better than the prospect they could get at 13, the drop-off in talent is expected to be sudden and early this year, but then again trading back is probably still the ultimate goal for Snead. Adding more picks on day three, not losing them.
However, when one phone rings, another one answers. If the Browns are giving pick 6 away, is that something that entices the Rams to pick up?
