NFL Draft 2021: Prediction – LA Rams shake up draft at 57

Scenario I: Trade back

Should that happen when the Rams are about to pick?  I expect that it will happen with multiple teams. And should that phone ring, the Rams will calmly and wisely answer the phone. This is not a race. Chess matches are not won with speed, but rather a strategy and the ability to play several moves ahead of the opposition.

I predict this will be the primary strategy of the LA Rams with the 57th pick of the 2021 NFL Draft. After all is said and done, the LA Rams will find just as much value in the third and fourth rounds of this draft as the second round.  As long as the goal is to fill a roster hole adequately, and not too focused upon a singular rookie prospect, it’s an easy transition to do.

That’s the key. Don’t focus as much on one prospect. Rather, focus on the position, and build a depth of prospects who fill the Rams’ needs at that position.

This year is particularly well suited for a trade-back strategy. The data and information available for this year’s crop of potential NFL rookies are incomplete and intermittent. Even the amount of football played by each candidate is significantly different. That creates plenty of opportunity for vastly different opinions over which prospect is more talented, a better fit, or has the highest potential in the NFL.

We’ve already published one article citing nine trade-back scenarios for the LA Rams at pick 57, and expect that one of the various trades will become reality on draft day.  In fact, one such trade-back scenario became the foundation of our latest 2021 mock draft.  This scenario is the one option that creates the most value for the Rams in this draft.