How the Panthers saved the LA Rams from themselves one more time

In almost every NFL Draft, the Los Angeles Rams confront multiple scenarios during the NFL Draft. And leading into every annual draft, Rams GM Les Snead must respond to the question of which direction the Rams view as the most likely scenario to take place with the team's first pick of that year's draft. Will the team trade up, trade back, or simply stand pat? And every year, Snead leaves the door open to any of the three possibilities.

Quite honestly, all three scenarios are on the table as the team prepares for each NFL Draft.

It doesn't take a great deal of meticulous planning or preparation for the draft to expect justification to trade up. The Rams do a solid job of creating tiers of players long before the draft arrives, and if a particular player falls to a desired spot on the board, the team springs into action by placing calls, proposing trades, and waiting to see if the offer is acceptable or not.

So, in the 2025 NFL Draft, the Carolina Panthers released footage that confirms NFL rumors over the Rams' attempts to trade up to the eighth overall pick of the draft. And you needn't do any research to realize that the Panthers rejected the Rams' offer and stood pat at eight to select Arizona rookie wide receiver Tet McMillan.

This was not the first time that the Carolina Panthers gave the Rams front office the brush-off. In 2022, the Panthers rejected Rams offers for RB Christian McCaffrey and DE Brian Burns. It was that double whammy from Panthers GM Scott Fitterer that forced the Rams to change their entire roster-building strategy.

But it was the same Panthers team that demanded a huge premium out of the Rams to trade up in Round 2 of the 2024 NFL Draft. Was it worth it? Yes, it was, as the Rams landed DE Braden Fiske, one of the finalists for 2024 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.

While you may believe that the Rams wanted to trade up for the same player chosen by the Panthers, that is not a certainty. One of the most likely rookie prospects who warranted the Rams attempting to jump from 26 to 8 was Michigan tight end Colston Loveland. The Rams had every reason to believe that Loveland might be drafted that high, as the New Orleans Saints needed offensive weapons, and they may have been open to trading back as well.

As Round 1 played out, it was the Chicago Bears that found itself selecting Michigan tight end Colston Loveland. The Rams had tried to trade up for an elite tight end in both 2023 and 2024, so trading up for a tight end in 2025 fits that pattern.

So, what might the Rams have offered to trade up from 26th to the eighth overall pick? That jump likely would have cost the team their 2025 and 2026 Round 1 picks, as well as up to both Round 3 picks. Would it have been worth it? You decide.

It is tough to justify trading up for a player who is not just a sure-fire starter, but a projected Offensive Rookie of the Year candidate.

As it turned out, the Rams traded back and out of Round 1 and surrendered a Round 3 pick to select TE Terrance Ferguson in Round 2, WR Konata Mumpfield in Round 7, and lay claim to the Atlanta Falcons Round 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.

Would you rather have TE Colston Loveland or WR Tet McMillan, lose out on TE Terrance Ferguson, and no Day 1 picks in the 2026 NFL Draft? Or miss out on a rookie at the eighth overall pick, knowing that two picks await the Rams in next year's draft?

From where I stand, the Panthers saved the LA Rams from themselves one more time. It's as though whatever the Carolina Panthers choose, the Rams end up in a better place. If that holds, the Rams are not only going to love what TE Terrance Ferguson and WR Konata Mumpfield bring to the team in 2025, but that 2026 NFL Draft will be worth waiting for, too.

As always, thanks for reading.

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