Immediately after last year’s NFL draft, in which the Rams came away with two first-round picks in 2026, coach Sean McVay put off any hint of anticipation about how the team might leverage their bounty in this year’s draft.
“One year’s like dog years to me in coaching,” McVay said, chuckling, “That’s a long way away.”
Not anymore.
On Thursday, the three-day draft begins in Pittsburgh.
The Rams already upgraded the roster that helped them reach the NFC championship game last season.
To a team that featured quarterback Matthew Stafford — the NFL most valuable player — star receivers Puka Nacua and Davante Adams and Pro Bowl edge rushers Jared Verse and Byron Young, the Rams re-signed safety Kam Curl and added cornerbacks Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson.
The Rams gave up the No. 29 pick in a trade with the Kansas City Chiefs for McDuffie, an All-Pro the Rams promptly made the highest-paid player at his position in NFL history.
But they still have the No. 13 pick — acquired in the 2025 draft-day trade with the Atlanta Falcons — giving them a chance to supplement a roster that makes the Rams a favorite to play in Super Bowl LXI at SoFi Stadium in February.
The Rams do not have a “void” or an immediate need for a rookie to replace a starter, McVay said, so there is no need to “press” with the No. 13 pick.
“That was accomplished and accommodated by the guys that we signed or re-signed, or that we have under contract,” he said, “so we feel really good.”
The Rams will go into the draft with one pick in the first, second and third rounds, one pick in the sixth round and three in the seventh.
The Rams have not had a top-10 pick since 2016, when they selected quarterback Jared Goff No. 1. This is only the third time since they returned to Los Angeles from St. Louis in 2016 that they will go into the draft with a first-round pick. In 2024, they chose Verse with the 19th pick.
Is this the year that McVay, hired in 2017, finally gets a chance to draft an impact skill player on offense?
“We’re eager to add a really good player at [No.] 13,” he said, adding, “There’s skill players that I like, and that we like, and there’s a lot of positions of guys that we like in this class.”
General manager Les Snead has never been shy about attempting to trade up to select a desired player or back to acquire more draft capital. Last year, the Rams traded the 26th pick and a third-round pick to the Falcons for a second-round pick and a seventh-round pick, and the first-round pick this year.
Would the Rams trade up or back from No. 13?
“You’re happy at 13 but those options are always on the table,” Snead said.
If the Rams have a need, it is probably at receiver.
Adams is in the final year of the two-year contract the future Hall of Famer signed as a free agent before last season. He led the NFL with 14 touchdown receptions, but was still discussed in trade talks.
Nacua, a fourth-year pro, led the NFL with 129 catches last season but has had off-the-field problems, including an alleged biting incident that led to a civil lawsuit. He entered a rehabilitation program in March but is participating in voluntary offseason workouts. Nacua is eligible for a massive extension, but the Rams are now taking a wait-and-see approach before making a long-term commitment.
The draft class includes receivers such as Carnell Tate from Ohio State, Jordyn Tyson (Arizona State) and Makai Lemon (USC) among others.
Snead did not have to look far to evaluate Lemon, the Biletnikoff Award-winner as college football’s top receiver.
Snead’s daughter attends USC, and his son works in USC’s football front office.
“Lemon’s a fun player to watch,” Snead said, adding, “As a fan, as a father with two kids there, it was fun when you saw the ball go up and it was heading toward Lemon’s hands. You always felt like he’d bring it down.”
Offensive line and edge rusher are among other positions the Rams could explore, and quarterback is not off the table in later rounds.
Stafford is at the far end of his career, Jimmy Garoppolo is a free agent contemplating retirement, and fourth-year pro Stetson Bennett has not played in a regular season game.
McVay said Bennett is “considered a backup,” a role he filled the first two games in 2024 when Garoppolo was suspended.
“That wouldn’t be something that we’d be afraid of,” McVay said.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: latimes.com
