Los Angeles Rams should hang on to first-round draft pick in 2019

In each of the last two seasons, the Los Angeles Rams have gone without a first round pick in the NFL Draft as a result of previous trades.

Free agency may be the main focus of the Los Angeles Rams at the moment, as the team hopes to take advantage of filling a few key needs next month once things officially get underway, but this doesn’t mean the team isn’t already looking ahead to the draft as well.

In fact, the Rams received some positive news on Friday when it became official the team would receive three compensatory picks (two third rounders and a seventh) in the upcoming draft, which could be quite helpful when looking at the team’s previous success under Sean McVay.

As impressive as Los Angeles has been over the last two seasons under McVay, it’s been even more amazing to watch some of their success without using a first-round pick in each of the previous two drafts.

One year after giving up a first rounder in 2017 as part of the deal to land Jared Goff with the top overall pick the year before, the Rams pulled off a surprise move last offseason by sending their first rounder for 2018 to the New England Patriots in exchange for Brandin Cooks.

Normally, this would seem to put a team like Los Angeles at a disadvantage for missing out on some of the best talent from each draft class, but looking back, both of these moves were well worth it since Goff and Cooks are going to be around for years to come.

With that being said, the Rams currently have the No. 31 pick for this year’s draft after coming up short in Super Bowl 53 to the New England Patriots. And while it will obviously be tempting to pull the trigger on trading their first-round pick for a third year in a row, Los Angeles may want to consider holding on to their selection this time around.

Whether they decide to go with a linebacker early on or simply another offensive lineman to provide some depth to a unit that has been pretty solid over the last two seasons, the Rams will have numerous options to consider at the end of April once they’re officially on the clock.

McVay has proven to be one of the best at evaluating draft talent when looking at some of the valuable picks by Los Angeles since 2017, but just imagine what he could do with a first rounder.

Maybe this time around, the Rams will actually get to take part in opening night of the draft instead of having to wait until the following day to get in on the draft action while helping fill one of their team needs in the process.