The Los Angeles Rams have often been criticized for their nonchalance surrounding first round draft picks. The last time general manager Les Snead drafted in the first round, it was to take Jared Goff with the No. 1 overall pick in 2016.
Since then, the Rams have traded each and every first-rounder. In 2017, it went to the Tennessee Titans as part of the Goff trade. In 2018, it went to the New England Patriots for Brandin Cooks. The year after, it went to the Atlanta Falcons for a haul of later picks.
Then, 2020 and 2021 found their way to the Jacksonville Jaguars in exchange for Jalen Ramsey, while the next two firsts will be made by the Detroit Lions due to the Matthew Stafford trade. All of these lost firsts don’t mean a thing to the Rams as they celebrated their Super Bowl LVI championship with an L.A. parade on Wednesday.
Snead has become famous for his willingness to trade high draft picks in exchange for Pro Bowl-caliber talent. And at that Super Bowl parade, he kept the joke going by wearing a shirt and talking about the famous meme surrounding him, via L.A. reporter Arash Markazi:
Les Snead: "F them picks. We'll use them to go win more Super Bowls." 😂 pic.twitter.com/RPHpWgM78c
— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) February 16, 2022
The Rams do not have another first round pick until 2024, but if Snead could have it his way, he would use that selection in a trade to get another elite player. Stafford and Ramsey absolutely have been worth more than four first round picks to the Rams.
So as the Rams enter an offseason in which running it back is a legitimate possibility, fans can be comfortable knowing that Snead will do whatever it takes to keep L.A. competitive in the race for Super Bowl 57.
Teams may be reluctant to trade elite players for draft picks multiple years down the line, so Snead’s focus will be on free agency, with guys like Von Miller, Odell Beckham Jr., and others hopeful to be brought back into the mix.
McVay, Miller, Donald hoping to run it back
There were plenty of unforgettable moments at the Rams Super Bowl parade. However, the one to get the fans most excited was Sean McVay, Aaron Donald, and Miller expressing their desire to run it back for another championship.
This came at a perfect time amid rumors that both McVay and Donald were considering retirement. While nothing is set in stone, it appears the Rams have a blueprint to give it one more shot at bringing home a second Lombardi trophy.
