LA Rams rumors: Would trading WR Robert Woods help or hurt team?

Benefit II: Rams could use draft picks

The LA Rams enter the 2022 NFL Draft last in many ways. Not only is the team choosing last in each round, as is the case for all defending Super Bowl-winning teams in the ensuing draft, but the Rams had traded most of their original draft pick allotment already. In fact, based on the current projection of their 2022 NFL Draft picks, the LA Rams are not only not selecting in Day 1, but the team will not make a selection in the Top-100 picks of this draft.

The Rams will not step up to the podium until round three, with the 104th overall pick of the 2022 NFL Draft. A lot of talented players will be gone by the team the Rams are able to make their first pick. That is only compounded by the fact that the Rams have another year of defensive players defecting via free agency, and risk not replenishing the ranks with enough talented players to develop rapidly enough to fill rotational roles.

Rams draft is still important for team’s success

We’d explored some players who could be traded for draft picks, but the old adage of “you have to give something of value to get something of value in return” applies. In short, there is not yet a market for many of the players who the LA Rams would be comfortable in trading. But there is a market for WR Robert Woods, who the Rams could profer for a first-round and fifth-round pick. Why so much?  Well, he is a good fit for so many offenses, but he is particularly intriguing for either the Detroit Lions or the Minnesota Vikings. And yes, the Lions are in the mix already

Not only is Woods a 1000-yard ready receiver who can run, block, run routes, and catch, but he is an immediate veteran leader in any NFL team locker room. Perhaps most of all, Woods is under contract through 2025, and at a below-market priced contract that will average just over $14 million per year.

That is better than a team risking a first-round pick on a may-but-may-not player out of the draft. For a contending team, it is exactly aligned with any roster’s specifications. And that is why he is so popular around the league. A hot market means paying a premium price, and a cost of a first-round and a fifth-round is worth the combination of production and affordability for the right team.