Back in 2019, the Los Angeles Rams traded multiple draft picks to acquire All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey and he would ultimately play a major role in the team’s run to the Super Bowl in 2021. Now in 2026, the Rams have again traded multiple draft picks for an All-Pro cornerback, acquiring Trent McDuffie from the Kansas City Chiefs to help turn around their secondary and, hopefully, make another run to the Super Bowl.
Someone who sees the similarities is head coach Sean McVay and he brought up Ramsey when discussing what McDuffie can bring to this Rams team, via Stu Jackson of theRams.com:
“I think the first thing is, when you’re looking at different avenues of upgrading your roster like we’ve talked about, whether it’s the draft, free agency, … there’s a lot of different avenues, trades,” head coach Sean McVay said from the NFL’s Annual League Meeting. “And so when we were aware that McDuffie was available, and then you have this unique opportunity where you have (defensive backs coach) Jimmy Lake, who was his college coach, who’s going to be coaching the secondary this year, and you hear about number one, you look at the four years of his body of work and the versatility where he can do a lot of things that were similar to what made Jalen Ramsey such a special player for us when our defense was really operating at a high clip. He can play into the boundary, can play to the field, he can play in the slot, he can blitz. He’s rare, and then he’s a rare human. And that was really important.”
Both Ramsey and McDuffie were All-Pro selections prior to the Rams trading for them. Ramsey would go on to make back-to-back All-Pro First Teams in 2020 and 2021 on the way to that Super Bowl championship and the belief is that McDuffie can do the same.
As McVay noted, McDuffie can play multiple positions at a very high level and the belief amongst many is that the secondary was the main weak point that prevented the Rams from reaching the Super Bowl last year. If McDuffie can have a Ramsey-type impact, the end result could be the same as 2021, with the Rams hoisting the Lombardi Trophy.
Which positions could Rams target in the NFL Draft?
The Rams still have the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft to improve their roster as well and while the franchise notably holds their cards close to the vest, there is some speculation about which positions they could look to target in the early rounds.
