Les Snead must find firm footing out of his comfort zone to succeed in draft

From the moment that the Los Angeles Rams paired general manager Les Snead with head coach Sean McVay, the city of Los Angeles would know tremendous success in the NFL. But this pair did not take the usual trek to success. Since 2017, the duo would select just once on Day 1 of the NFL draft.

That's not how the typical team does it.

Of course, when Snead finds defensive dynamite like outside linebacker Byron Young and defensive lineman Kobie Turner in Round 3, a starting left tackle, Alaric Jackson, signed after the draft ended, and offensive weapons like wide receiver Puka Nacua and running back Kyren Williams in Round 5.

When the front office delivers diamonds from unlikely places, there really is no need to grab the first guy off the draft board.

And it's that track record that could be challenging for Snead as he attempts to add a Day 1 starter to the team. Right now, where does the roster have such a huge question mark as to open the door for instant success? Les Snead has his work cut out for him.

Les Snead may be tempted to trade back once more

There is no shortage of conjecture and speculation over what the LA Rams may do at the 13th overall pick, and for good reason. In recent years, Snead has attempted to trade up, stood his ground, and even traded back. Now he has a first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft after trading out of Round 1 in last year's draft.

Ironically, the same circumstances that created a trade back option are in place once more. There are some elite rookie prospects in the 2026 NFL Draft. But without help from some teams addressing need over talent, Los Angeles may be beyond the talent and positional help that can make an immediate impact.

Would it make sense to trade back? Yes. Yes it would. LA does its best late on Day 2 and early in Day 3. And yet, the current picks offer huge gaps over that period. The Horns will sit out 114 picks before stepping up to the podium in Round 6.

• Round 1 - 13th overall (via Atlanta)
• Round 2 - 61st overall
• Round 3 - 93rd overall
• Round 4 - None
• Round 5 - None
• Round 6 - 207th overall (via Houston)
• Round 7 - 232nd (via Baltimore), 251st (comp), and 252nd (comp)

Snead dislikes those gaps.

While some rookie prospects could still be on the board at 13, if LA does not value them, the team should not reach in 2026 and reload for 2027. We'd mentioned that trading-back scenario before, but now that seems more and more likely. The most likely option for the team is a cornerback or wide receiver at 13.

But would either see significant playing time in 2026?

Ultimately, the decision is up to general manager Les Snead. On three other occasions, armed with a first-round pick entering the draft, he has stood his ground once and traded back twice. His track record suggests he will trade back. It's what Snead has done 2/3rds of the time in the past.

After all, it's where he is most comfortable.

As always, thanks for reading.