When it comes to the NFL Draft, Los Angeles Rams general manager Les Snead will be active. Whether it’s trading up, trading back, or trading a pick directly for a player, Snead is always looking to make moves. Earlier this week, ESPN’s Bill Barnwell did his ‘all trades’ mock draft in which every pick gets traded. With the 13th overall pick, Barnwell had the Rams getting their potential quarterback of the future, but not in the way that many would expect.
At 13 overall, Barnwell had the Rams trading
back to 18 with the Minnesota Vikings, receiving a third-round pick in addition to quarterback JJ McCarthy. Said Barnwell,
“We know general manager Les Snead doesn’t value picks in the bottom quarter of the first round, so the Rams aren’t likely to move down very far if they do trade down here…There is also an argument to be made for trying to land his team’s quarterback of the future. A reunion with Jimmy Garoppolo still makes sense for all parties involved, but what if the Rams do want to find a younger option? Is McCarthy a viable solution? The results we’ve seen so far say no. But great coaches also have a habit of revitalizing quarterbacks who didn’t look like NFL-caliber starters…Of course, McCarthy was already under one of those highly touted coaches in Kevin O’Connell, who was on McVay’s staff in Los Angeles. In addition to the issues McCarthy had as a pure passer during the 2025 season, he missed all of 2024 with a knee injury and was sidelined by multiple injuries in 2025…At the right price, though, taking a flier on McCarthy would make sense…This trade would value McCarthy as being worth the 112th pick in a typical draft by the Johnson chart, a selection in the middle of the fourth round. That feels about right to me. And the Rams would be on the hook for $6.6 million over the next two years, which isn’t much for a developmental backup quarterback. Could McCarthy’s solid final four games of the 2025 season (admittedly against dismal opposing defenses) portend growth and some future success? The Rams wouldn’t be paying much to find out.”
Even if you aren’t a fan of JJ McCarthy, this wouldn’t be a bad deal for the Rams. This is an extremely low-risk deal and they still pick up an extra third-round pick while moving back only five spots. After trading for Ty Hamilton in last year’s draft and acquiring Trent McDuffie, the Rams have a huge gap between picks 93 and 207. In this deal, the Rams also get pick 97. Despite there still being a large gap between that pick and 207, it also gives the Rams four picks inside the top 100.
As it stands, the 13th overall pick feels like a weird spot for the Rams as it’s just after where the elite talent will likely be off the board and it’s bad value for players they may have interest in. Trading back to 18 would put the Rams in a better spot to draft Kenyon Sadiq, KC Concepcion, or Omar Cooper Jr.
The added piece in this deal is JJ McCarthy. Acquiring him in this trade doesn’t guarantee him as the guy after Matthew Stafford. With that said, it gives the Rams an option before the 2027 draft. McCarthy is more experienced and is likely better than anybody that the Rams could select later in the draft, such as Cade Klubnik or Drew Allar. McCarthy would also be around the same price, if not cheaper, than Garoppolo.
Barnwell had the Rams making another potential trade in this draft, moving up from 13 to 10 with the Cincinnati Bengals. A trade up wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibilities, but the right player would need to be available. In the deal, the Rams gave up their third-round pick and received a sixth-round pick in return.
