LOS ANGELES (AP) — Rams general manager Les Snead doesn’t often use his first-round draft choices the normal way. When he does, it’s usually been a game-changer for Los Angeles.
Snead and the Rams have the 13th overall pick in the NFL draft next week, and the veteran executive seems to be planning to actually make his first-round selection for only the second time in the past decade.
Although he could trade down a bit if the right deal presents itself, it still seems likely the Rams will add another first-round talent to a balanced roster that fell one game short of its third Super Bowl appearance under Sean McVay last season.
When Snead got this job in St. Louis in 2012, he quickly traded the No. 2 overall pick — which became Robert Griffin III — to get three first-rounders over the next three drafts. He then traded back again and still got Michael Brockers, a stalwart on the Rams’ defensive line for the next nine years.
Snead absolutely nailed two of his three first-round selections in 2014 and 2015, picking Aaron Donald and Todd Gurley. After the team moved home to Los Angeles, he dramatically traded up in 2016 to get Jared Goff, who is beginning his second decade as a quality NFL starter.
And then Snead didn’t make another first-round pick until 2024, when he got AP Defensive Rookie of the Year Jared Verse.
After years of trading draft picks for veteran assets with a boldness that was soon copied around the league, Snead seems poised to address his title-contending team’s few serious deficiencies with a high selection.
Pick ‘em
Snead acquired the 13th pick a year ago when the Rams traded out of the first round so Atlanta could select edge rusher James Pearce Jr. at No. 26. Los Angeles then traded its own pick at No. 29 in the package to acquire cornerback Trent McDuffie from Kansas City, addressing the Rams’ most glaring need with draft capital.
Los Angeles also has its own picks at the back of the second and third rounds, but won’t pick again until the sixth round.
Need
After throwing to their No. 3 or No. 4 wide receivers less frequently than any top team in the NFL last season, the Rams have been frequently linked with wideouts to bolster the league’s top offense behind Puka Nacua and Davante Adams. USC’s Makai Lemon, a native of the Los Angeles suburbs, could be available, as could Arizona State’s Jordyn Tyson and Texas A&M’s KC Concepcion.
Right tackle Rob Havenstein, a second-round pick in 2015, retired in February after 11 years as a starter. Warren McClendon held down the job for most of last season, but the Rams are likely to have access to most of this draft’s top offensive linemen at No. 13. They could acquire a potential standout for a line that has been good, but not really dominant.
Don’t need
Los Angeles is fairly deep across its roster, allowing Snead to draft whatever players he likes most. The team already solved its biggest problem in March by acquiring McDuffie and signing fellow ex-Chiefs cornerback Jaylen Watson in free agency, and while starter Emmanuel Forbes is still on the roster, the Rams should get a cornerback at some point.
If the Rams want to find their successor to NFL MVP Matthew Stafford in this draft, they’re keeping it very quiet. Snead seems focused on fielding the best team possible next season to maximize Stafford’s remaining career, and anybody who won’t play much in 2026 isn’t logically part of that equation.
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