Los Angeles Rams should consider trading down in 2019 NFL Draft

With the No. 31 pick, here are some reasons for the Los Angeles Rams to consider trading down in the 2019 NFL Draft.

The Los Angeles Rams currently sit with the No. 31 pick in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft.

While keeping this pick would mean the Rams would be using a first rounder for the the first time since 2016 when they selected Jared Goff with the top overall pick, there may be some benefit to trading down to acquire more picks.

First, there should be opportunity. Teams regularly want to jump back into to the end of the first round to take a player they were watching.

Last season, the Baltimore Ravens traded back up for the final pick in the first round to take Lamar Jackson while the Philadelphia Eagles exchanged fourth-round picks to move back about 20 spots (the Eagles also included a fourth).

In 2017, the San Francisco 49ers traded back into the first round to take Reuben Foster, giving the Seattle Seahawks a fourth-round pick to move back only three spots.

Also, in 2016, San Francisco traded up to the No. 28 pick to select Josh Garnett, exchanging a second, a fourth and a sixth-round pick for that selection while receiving a seventh-round pick as well.

Suffice it to say, there is likely to be a market that the Rams could capitalize on if they really wanted to in this year’s draft towards the end of the first round.

The Rams have traded a number of picks over the last few years, bringing in players like Marcus Peters, Aqib Talib, Sammy Watkins, and Brandin Cooks all via trading away picks.

This has been positive for the most part, adding starts to the roster, but it does leave the team needing depth at multiple positions.

In what isn’t really all that surprising, this year is no different, as Los Angeles has zero second-round picks (traded for Peters), but at least they got two third-round picks (both compensatory from Watkins and Trumaine Johnson).

Mainly, this is important from sending their own third-round pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars as part of the deal for Dante Fowler in the middle of last season.

However, despite not having many picks the last few years, the Rams have made the most of the middle rounds, where they have had some capital.

Once again, this could be the reason to trade back, as they would gain more picks to utilize in those middle rounds.

Here are some of the players the Rams have gotten in rounds 2-4 in the last three drafts:

• TE Gerald Everett, 2017 second rounder
• WR Cooper Kupp, 2017 third rounder
• S John Johnson, 2017 third rounder
• OT Joe Noteboom, 2018 third rounder
• WR Josh Reynolds, 2017 fourth rounder
• TE Tyler Higbee, 2016 fourth rounder
• WR/KR Pharoh Cooper, 2016 fourth rounder
• C Brian Allen, 2018 fourth rounder
• DE John Franklyn Myers, 2018 fourth rounder

Obviously the headline making draft is 2017, where the Rams added three quality starters on day two of the draft, and another solid contributor in Reynolds in the fourth round.

As free agency begins next week along with the draft in April quickly approaching, it will fun to see what Les Snead and company have up their sleeves. Stay tuned, Rams fans, as this year’s draft is expected to be a wild one once again for the NFC champions.