The Rams have never been afraid to think several moves ahead. Sometimes that means drafting and developing. Sometimes that means identifying a former first-round talent before the rest of the league catches up. Other times, it means acquiring established players who fit a very specific vision.
The Rams have been notorious for landing former first round picks with Les Snead as the general manager. The list includes: Jake Long (2008, 1st overall), Kenny Britt (2009, 30th overall), Nick Fairley (2011,
13th overall), Mark Barron (2012, 7th overall), Dominique Easley (2014, 29th overall), Sammy Watkins (2014, 4th overall), Blake Bortles (2014, 3rd overall), Marcus Peters (2015, 18th overall), Aqib Talib (2008, 20th overall), Brandin Cooks (2014, 20th overall), Ndamukong Suh (2010, 2nd overall), Dante Fowler (2015, 3rd overall), Clay Matthews (2009, 26th overall), Jalen Ramsey (2016, 5th overall), Leonard Floyd (2016, 9th overall), Matthew Stafford (2009, 1st overall), Sony Michel (2018, 31st overall), Von Miller (2011, 2nd overall), Odell Beckham Jr. (2014, 14th overall), Baker Mayfield (2018, 1st overall), Tre’Davious White (2017, 27th overall), Emmanuel Forbes (2023, 16th overall), Trent McDuffie (2022, 21st overall), and the recent Myles Garrett (2017, 1st overall).
That’s 24 former first round picks across in which Les Snead has been the general manager for 15 years. So, the Rams clearly value first round talent/picks. They just might not acquire them in the most straightforward way via Draft Day.
In fact, the only drafts 2008-2023 (16 year span) where the Rams did not acquire a former first round player via free agency or trade were the 2013, 2019, 2020, and 2021 drafts. The 2013 draft is considered one of the worst player drafts of the 21st century. The 2019 draft has only produced a few good players, well below first round standard. The 2020 and 2021 drafts are still very recent. It’s probably only a matter of time until the Rams add a player from those drafts.
Players like Joe Burrow (1st overall), Justin Jefferson (22nd overall), and Kyle Pitts (4th overall) have consistently been rumored in social media to be potential trade targets for the Rams if made available. It would not surprise me in the least, if one of those three were a Ram someday.
I’m not sure how many former first round players other teams have acquired in the same time span but I have to believe the Rams aggressiveness puts them at the forefront.
