So what if LA Rams deal siphons off more first-round picks?

Time enough for countin’ when the dealin’s done

The LA Rams are not foolish, nor are they enamored with making deals just to make headlines. They merely are more than delighted to avoid the risks of drafting in round one.  Teams who do cherish those selections must prepare to wait patiently.

For how long? However long it takes. That could mean over the course of five years or more to determine whether that player had a five-year starting career in the NFL. To determine the value of doing so, analysts must sort through the careers of all 32 players from round one of each year to determine if any had risen to the level of an NFL difference-maker.

Yes, the Rams have dealt their first-round picks. To be honest, they likely will continue to do so.  They had swung and missed when they dealt a first-round pick for WR Brandin Cooks and may have come up short with QB Jared Goff. But they’ve hit on DB Jalen Ramsey. And they hope to have hit another jackpot in QB Matthew Stafford. It’s not about finding starters. It’s about finding difference makers.

As long as other NFL teams covet the promise of the next savior as emerging from the first round of the NFL Draft, the Rams have a distinct and logical reason to deal away their first-round picks.  Their perceived value to a team is much greater than the actual value to a team.   And so it becomes a simple business principle. Sell high, buy low.