Will LA Rams hoard draft picks as other teams spend them foolishly?

I can’t believe I just typed that title, especially knowing that it is about the LA Rams someday hoarding draft picks. And yet, there it is. And now, having typed it out, it’s correct for the discussion we are about to have. The LA Rams are trendsetters, not trend followers. Now, having assembled a Super Bowl-winning roster in a most unconventional manner, have changed what NFL teams now consider conventional.

And so, will the LA Rams reformulate how they go about winning in the future?

Well, it is not as easy as all of that. You see, the LA Rams do not hold a first-round pick until the 2024 NFL Draft. While that is true today, we’ve witnessed the pattern in the past where future first-round picks are fair currency in the right situation. If the front office sets their sights on a game-changing player who could be added to the Rams roster for the sum of some first-round picks, it’s happening. Or it was happening.

Counterfeits, replicas, and knock offs

Now? Many teams are going a bit zany with over-the-top trades. The Miami Dolphins just traded a ton of picks for Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill. Check out this package of picks they gave up:

That is a trade that is typically reserved for a player who will get a team over the top. But even with a move like that, are the Miami Dolphins any closer to a Super Bowl run? If other teams are truly embracing the “F*** them picks” mantra of the LA Rams, something seriously has been lost in the translation.

Don’t get me wrong. WR Tyreek Hill is an excellent football player. But does anyone truly believe that the AFC is going to knuckle under when the Miami Dolphins show up with QB Tua Tagovailoa and WR Tyreek Hill? I’m very skeptical.

Does Denver do a closer duplication?

The Denver Broncos did a better job of trying to follow the moves made by the LA Rams front office, even to the point of exchanging a disappointing quarterback Drew Lock for a very talented veteran in Russell Wilson. And the willingness to toss five valuable picks into the mix would have made even Rams GM Les Snead proud.

But even that seems to be a bit flawed. The Broncos tossed both TE Noah Fant and DL Shelby Harris into the deal. Both of whom are young talented players with upside. Fant is particularly surprising, as he would have made an ideal target for Wilson in the Broncos offense, as well as afford their new quarterback extra blocking.

Across the NFL, teams are going bonker on mega deals. Quarterbacks and wide receiver carousels have realigned the league. Who can tell which pairings will work, and which are just wasted efforts?

The LA Rams are not yet in a position to handle the new trend in the NFL, but they will be by this time next year. What do I mean? The Rams can add a backup quarterback and receiver talent, coach them up, put them into a game or two to showcase their talent, and then be willing to trade the young player to a team in need for a mid-draft pick. Impossible?  Not with the LA Rams behind the wheel.

After all, they took a veteran quarterback who could not win a playoff game and suddenly made him unbeatable in the postseason. Nothing is beyond the reach of this team.