Are Rams going to be motivated to trade down in 2024 NFL Draft?

The L.A. Rams need to add about 30 more players to the roster, will they try to acquire more picks?

Les Snead is in a rare position as the general manager of the Los Angeles Rams this month, as it is his first chance since 2019 to use a first round pick to move up or down or choose a prospect at 19th overall. Don’t put anything past Snead when it comes to that decision in three weeks, as the Rams have shown that they don’t think teams win because they use first round picks on first round rookies.

However, this is also the same general manager who made one of the boldest decisions in history by trading up from 15 to 1 for Jared Goff in 2016.

Anything is on the table for the Rams, but trading down could have more appeal than trading up or even staying at 19.

Rams salary cap

The Rams have an estimated $14.3 million in cap space left with their current roster on the top-51 contracts, but this does not account for future moves like making a first round pick. The 19th overall pick is going to cost the team about $3 million in 2024 cap space.

More importantly, the Rams only have 61 players signed to the roster, leaving 29 open spots as we get close to the draft. L.A. has 11 picks, tied for the most, but the opportunity is there for Snead to do what he did last year when the Rams picked 14 times.

The Rams could trade down from 19 and get a prospect rated just as highly as the ones they had left on the board at 19, but add more picks on days two and three, if not in 2025.

Rams could stand to draft more than 11 players

It was perhaps only because the Rams picked 14 times that they landed Puka Nacua with their last of four picks in the fifth round. Snead may not think 11 picks is enough, so the most obvious place to trade down for more would be at pick 19, possibly with a team that is looking to trade up for an offensive tackle, a position that is less of a need for L.A. than other positions.

The key here would be for the Rams to try and turn as many of their priority undrafted free agent signing needs into draft picks, eliminating the need to have to convince them to choose L.A. over another destination that might be offering a higher signing bonus.

Picking more players over higher-ranked players has been much more of Snead’s strategy than trading up has been. Teams could be calling to ask about the 19th pick and it could behoove Snead to listen and find out if the Rams are gaining more from moving down than sticking and picking.

Trade offers

One aggressive general manager behind Les Snead in the draft order who he knows very well is Brad Holmes. The two former co-workers on the Rams made the Matthew Stafford trade in 2021 and could work out another deal if it benefits both sides.

The Lions pick 29th in the first round, but they traded a third round pick for CB Carlton Davis and lost a fifth round pick as part of the T.J. Hockenson trade. The Lions still have a third round pick from the Hockenson trade, but Holmes might still want more picks in the middle of the draft, something that L.A. has a lot of right now.

What if Detroit was keen on getting one of the top cornerbacks or edge rushers in the 2024 draft? At 19, the Lions might have the chance for someone like Nate Wiggins or Jared Verse, for example, prospects who might not make it to 29.

Offer:

The Rams trade picks 19, 155 to the Lions

The Lions trade picks 29, 61, 201, 249 to the Rams

This move gets Detroit into the top-20 and supplements them with a fifth round pick, while giving the Rams an additional second round picks and two more selections on day three. With pick 61, Snead could address any number of positions, potentially still getting a good defensive tackle at 29 and a good cornerback at 61.

Perhaps another move here could be made with the Buffalo Bills.

The Bills traded Stefon Diggs on Wednesday, creating one of the most obvious positional needs for any Super Bowl contender in the NFL: Buffalo needs a WR1. They only have Curtis Samuel, Khalil Shakir, Mack Hollins, Andy Isabella, K.J. Hamler, and Justin Shorter right now.

At 19, the Bills might be able to get up for Brian Thomas or one of the second-tier receiver prospects after the big-three expected to go in the top-10. Would the Bills…

Offer:

The Rams trade pick 19, 99 to the Bills

The Bills trade picks 28, 60, 200, 2025 3rd to the Rams

I don’t know if you’re going to pry the second round pick from the Bills without giving up a third round pick in return right now, as Buffalo doesn’t have its own third round pick anymore. But they now have two second round picks in 2025, so maybe they’re willing to part with a third next year, if you give back a late third this year. That gets the Rams an extra second in 2024 and two thirds in 2025.

What will Snead do?

The Rams may have no idea yet, it could come down to how the board falls. Maybe the most surprising thing to happen would be that 18 picks are made, then the Rams make a pick. That would be more surprising than trading the pick. It does seem to benefit the Rams more to move down than move up, but we can’t put anything past Snead.