The Los Angeles Rams’ team-building strategy worked to perfection as they captured Super Bowl LVI and engraved their names in NFL history.
The Rams bucked the conventional way of forming a roster and traded away several high picks in order to acquire players who could help them win now. Los Angeles traded away multiple first-round picks for Jalen Ramsey and Matthew Stafford while also sending out second and third-round selections to get Von Miller in the middle of the 2021 season.
Most teams would squirm at the idea of giving away such valuable draft capital, but general manager Les Snead and head coach Sean McVay threw caution to the wind in order to chase a championship. While the Rams may not have a first-round selection in the upcoming 2022 NFL Draft, they have done well to fill out the roster with players from the later rounds, thus keeping the team afloat.
Another way in which Los Angeles operates differently from the other 31 franchises is they choose to normally limit how many personnel members attend the annual NFL Draft Combine. This year is no different as Snead and McVay are not going to be in attendance, via Greg Beacham of Associated Press:
The Rams say Les Snead and Sean McVay are not going to attend the draft combine. F them picks indeed.
— Greg Beacham (@gregbeacham) February 27, 2022
Snead and McVay have made this a tradition of sorts, choosing to research and evaluate prospects on their own time instead of with the rest of the league. Their methods have worked as they have been able to unearth valuable contributors late into the draft, a key to their delicate ecosystem.
As of right now, Los Angeles officially only has three picks but will be awarded several more based on the NFL’s compensatory pick model. How the Rams use those picks will be interesting, but they have proven they can find value no matter where they are selecting.
