How much does Mike LaFleur know about Rams 2026 NFL Draft strategy?

At the 13th overall pick, and armed with seven picks in the draft, expectations for the LA Rams to land future NFL superstars in a draft have never been higher since the team hired Sean McVay to lead the team in 2027. But a draft is risky. Expecting great things from a rookie class presumes LA will hit on all of their selections, while other teams won't.

That won't happen.

This year will be an especially complicated draft to pull off. Former offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur is the new head coach of the Arizona Cardinals, and the Cards have a more potent arsenal of draft picks. If he desired to do so, LaFleur could be a significant impediment to LA's draft success.

This thing is: How much does Mike LaFleur know about LA's draft strategy?

The Cardinals open the 2026 NFL Draft by selecting ten spots earlier than the Rams. And it goes downhill from there. Of course, the Cardinals have their own roster needs that must be addressed in this draft. But at every intersection with the Rams, LaFleur has an undisputed advantage. So, how might that play out?

Mike Lafleur could cause multiple headaches for Les Snead

Per NFL.com, the Cardinals are expected to shop for quarterbacks, offensive linemen, edge rushers, defensive linemen, and linebackers in the draft. The same site expects the LA Rams to shop for wide receivers, offensive linemen, edge rushers, cornerbacks, and linebackers in the draft. If you compare the two lists, the two teams share 60 percent of their rookie positional needs.

But wait, there's more.

Let's compare the picks of the two teams. And to do that, we'll rely on the projected order from Tankathon.com:

Round 1 - Cardinals (3rd overall) | Rams (13th overall)
Round 2 - Cardinals (34th overall) | Rams (61st overall)
Round 3 - Cardinals (65th overall) | Rams 93rd overall)
Day 3 - Cardinals (104th, 143rd, 183rd, 217th overall) | Rams (207th, 232nd, 251st, 252nd overall)

In every round, Arizona has such a distinct advantage at the onset that it can entertain trading back for more picks and still expect to choose players before LA ever has the chance to do so. So yes, the presence of LaFleur switching sides to an NFC West rival does create complications.

The Rams have been far more successful in recent history. That's not just on the football field, but in adding young players to continue succeeding in the NFL. But general manager Les Snead realizes that some key intel, circulating about promising prospects, is now circulating among Cardinals coaches as well.

As always, thanks for reading.

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