Will LA Rams trade into round one in 2020 NFL Draft?

The LA Rams could trade into round one of the 2020 NFL Draft.  But does anyone warrant such a costly move for the team?

The LA Rams need depth. But some persons believe this team needs 2020 NFL starters. If that is the case, then the best way to land NFL starters is to move up in line, or in the case of the 2020 NFL Draft, to move into round one.

Since the Rams have multiple positions needing attention during the draft, the Rams will likely be very selective and judicious over any attempt to move up in this draft. Why? Well, the team needs competent players, and there is a consensus among general managers that the ability to determine future NFL stars is imperfect. In short, while many NFL fans agree over who the future HOFers will be, the NFL executives who make a living build rosters do so with an understanding that there is no such thing as a sure thing.

LA Rams general manager Les Snead operates under a different set of rules.  If he held a top 5 pick, that type of visibility sets the expectation that he must “get it right”. But when entering the 2020 NFL Draft without a first-round pick, Snead can operate outside of the spotlight. He can rely more heavily on data analytics and his scouting department than the spotlight of round one.

Fortunately, the LA Rams head coach Sean McVay confirms the Rams acknowledging the draft is deep at the team’s position of need. A deep draft means plenty of potential NFL quality rookies, and for the Rams, it means little to no incentive to trade up.

If a highly coveted player DOES fall in this draft, the Rams could conceivably trade up to select the player.  The Rams did a pre-draft interview with Baylor WR Denzel Mims. While many project Mims to be a round-one selection, if he falls to the end of that round, the Rams have enough draft value to move up. If the Rams wanted to select in round one only, they have enough picks to potentially land at the 17th pick of round one.

That’s if the Rams surrender all picks and bank their entire draft upon one player.

So that’s the risk of trading up. Could the Rams do it? Well, if the team is set upon selecting a player who happens to fall to the end of round one, then it’s possible.  But unless the Rams trade a player for a first-round pick, don’t look for a selection from the LA Rams tonight.

But the team will choose four times on Friday. That’s when the roster truly begins to take shape.